Riley is cleaning her apartment and making sure everything is as clean and uncluttered as it can be. She pays closest attention to Maya's former room. It's been pretty much neglected since Maya left and it needed a good dusting and just an overall deep cleaning. As she busies herself with the last few things she wants to clean, her favorite uncle, Joshua Matthews, comes into the room. "Can I help with anything in here Riley?" He asks. Josh has been helping Riley on this "cleaning day." Riley's used him for mostly heavy tasks like taking the garbage to the garbage chute or moving furniture. But he's helped out with other cleaning chores as well.
"No, I think we're pretty much done in here Uncle Josh," Riley tells him. "You've been such a big help, thanks."
"Glad to do it Riley," Josh responds. "This is important to all of us, but especially to you. I know you can't wait." Riley's giving Maya's old room so much attention because she'll be leaving rehab in a few days and wants to return to her and Riley's old apartment where she lived before her drinking problems began. "I want to go home," Maya told Riley. Riley was so overjoyed to hear Maya say that, that she started to cry.
After a couple more hours of straightening, rearranging, and final cleaning, Riley finally declared the apartment ready for Maya's return. "Whew, thank goodness," Josh stated with a tired voice, "I was beginning to think you'd never be happy enough. I was thinking about leaving."
Riley whirled around to face her uncle then, surprised at what he just said, but was greeted by a big grin on his face and she realized he was joking with her. "Oh you," she huffed as she flopped down next to him at the small kitchen table in the apartment. Josh couldn't help but smile at his little joke on her. The two just sat there in silence for the next several minutes; finally relaxing for the first time that day. As they sat there, Josh noticed a list of items on a piece of paper that was laying on the table. It was clearly in Riley's handwriting. He casually picked up the list and read it. It was a grocery shopping list. "This list is mostly items Maya would like," he began, "snacks, sodas, herbal teas, and taco fixings."
"Yes they are," Riley answered. "I'm trying my best to have things close to the way they were when she lived here with me before. I want it to almost feel like she never left. I want her to feel like she's finally home." Josh couldn't help but smile at his niece. If art was who Maya was, then making others happy was who Riley was. His niece was the sweetest, kindest person he'd ever known. He leaned over and kissed Riley on her temple. He started to tell her that, but before her could, Riley just smiled that wonderful smile of hers at him and he knew he needn't say anything. She already knew. After a few more minutes of silence, Riley sighed and said: "Well, I want to get the items on that list before today is over, but I didn't anticipate being this tired after cleaning the apartment.
"I'll go pick up everything on your list for you Riley," Josh told her.
"No, I can't let you do that Uncle Josh," Relay says, "it's Maya and mine's apartment and my responsibility."
"No Riley, I insist," Josh tells her. "You've worked hard all day and you deserve to rest now. I'll be happy to get everything for you. And while I'm gone, why don't you order in dinner for us, my treat."
Riley starts to argue with him, but sees it's useless. "Besides," she says to herself, "I'm too tired to argue with him anyway." She smiles and tells him: "Thanks, Uncle Josh. That's really sweet of you." He returns her smile and begins to gather up what he needs to go out, but before he leaves, Riley asks: "What do you want for dinner?"
"Surprise me," he says with a grin and he heads out the door.
Josh returns about an hour later with a couple of bags of groceries and other supplies that were on Riley's list. He's surprised to see that she's not in the kitchen or living room. He see's delivery sacks and boxes on the kitchen table from a local deli that Riley has apparently ordered for their dinner, so he concludes she couldn't be far from the apartment if she's not in it. After putting everything away that he'd brought in, he calls out: "Riley, are you here?"
"In Maya's room Uncle Josh," he hears her answer. He goes down the little hallway to Maya's room and finds the door open and Riley standing inside, seemingly in deep thought.
"He Riley," he says. "What's up?"
"Hey Uncle Josh," she replies to him. "I came back into Maya's room after our food was delivered to check on something and it got me to thinking. All day, I thought there's something wrong with Maya's room; there's something missing. But I just couldn't figure out what is was….until now."
"And…," Josh prompts.
"I should have thought of it immediately," Riley starts. "The room is empty compared to when Maya was here. Her room was not only where she slept and changed cloths, but where she painted when she wanted to be alone. You know how she could just throw herself into her painting. This was her studio away from where she worked, her own private studio. It was filled with paint supplies, canvases, sketch pads and finished and unfinished paintings." She looks at her favorite uncle now and says with a grin: "Like I told you, it was a beautiful mess." Josh smiles at the reference, remembering Riley telling him that. Riley sighs deeply and says: "I want her to be happy when she returns to our apartment, but if I think it's empty looking, I'm sure it will to her too. And it'll be hard for her to see. It'll probably bring up bad memories for her." She looks at Josh again, this time with sad eyes, and continues. "I know we'll have those bad memories from time to time, but I wish her room wouldn't cause them. Her room was such a joy to her; and everyone who knows her."
Josh can see she's upset about this. It was one of the downsides of her loving and caring heart. She wants nothing but happiness for her best friend. He puts an arm around her for comfort and kisses her on her temple. As they stand in silence for the next few minutes, an idea suddenly pops into Josh's mind. "I think I know a way we can brighten this room up some so Maya won't be as sad as we think she might."
Riley turns to look at Josh and can see the gears turning in his head and a slight grin form on his face. "What Uncle Josh?" She asks with a little excitement. "What is it?"
"We can buy her new painting supplies before she comes home. We can get everything she needs to start painting again when she gets here. That should make her happy."
"Oh, Uncle Josh," Riley exclaims, "that's a wonderful idea. That will make her so happy." She hesitates for a minute as a question pops into her head. She looks as Josh again and says: "But I have no idea what to get her. I'll be happy to help pay, but I don't know anything about painting or drawing. I was terrible in art classes. I have no clue to what she prefers or would use? Do you?"
Josh hesitates a minute before answering. "I hadn't thought of that. I don't know either." After a few minutes of thought, and answer pops into his head. "But I know who will I bet," her says as a smile comes across his face. Riley gives him a hopeful look as she waits for him to continue. "I'll go to the studio where she used to work. They should know what we should get her. I can get a list from them and a recommendation of where to get it." He gives Riley a satisfied smile.
But Riley has a question about his idea. "What if they won't help you Uncle Josh? Mayas told me that she left there on very bad terms with everyone. I'm sure you can understand why?" Josh's smile leaves his face as he nods his head in acknowledgement of Riley's question. But he still wants to try. "Well, maybe they'll understand what had happened to her, like we did, and be willing to help us. It's worth a try. All they can do is say no."
Riley smiles slightly at Josh's response. She sees, once again, that Josh is willing to do almost anything for Maya's happiness. And she still hopes that sometime in the future, someday, they can be more than friends. But that's in the future. "You're right Uncle Josh," she tells him. "All you can do is ask."
"I'll go by there one day this week and see what happens." he says. "And if they won't help me, then we'll come up with another plan. Either way, she will have something to paint with when she comes home."
Now it's Riley's turn to return Josh's affection as she places a loving kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for caring so much for my best friend Uncle Josh," she says. "Now let's go eat our dinner before it gets cold.
A few days later Josh pays a visit to the Lenard P. Drake Art Gallery where Maya used to work. It's one of the smaller and newer galleries in the area, but Riley had told him that Maya had been excited to be working there because it was growing due to its excellent administrator, curator, and the talented artists that worked there. As he had told Riley, he wasn't sure how he'd be received when they found out why he was there, but this was at least a starting point. So he calmed any apprehension he had and went in. There was some activity in the moderately spaced building. A variety of arts were on display, including: sculptures, glass art, and metal art. But the most prominent was paintings and to a lesser extent, drawings. Josh also saw several people who seemed to be working at the gallery. After looking around for a few minutes, a young man came up to him and asked: "Can I help you? You look like you have a question or need something. My names Ben by the way. And I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have."
"Thanks Ben, you can," Josh answered. "I would like some advice on painting supplies. That is, what types of paints, brushes, canvases, and other things I would need to begin painting immediately."
Ben looked at Josh in surprise as if that was the last thing he expected Josh to say. Well, sir," he began. "It would probably be better if you went to an art store and asked for some help there. They would be more equipped to help a beginner to get started. Pretty much everyone here is an advanced artist and probably wouldn't give very good advice on getting started because artists on the level of ours are pretty particular in what they use. However, I would be happy to recommend a few art stores that would be able to help you."
"Oh, thanks," Josh begins "but this won't be for me. It'll be for a friend of mine as a surprise and she is an experience artist." Ben just gave Josh a bewildered look, so he continued. "My name is Josh Matthews and my friend's name is Maya Hunter. She's painting again, but she has no…."
"Wait, what!" Ben interrupts suddenly. "Did you just say Maya Hunter?"
"Um, yes I did?" Josh answers with apprehension. He believes that he's about to be told to leave now because a friend of Maya's isn't welcome there. He's already thinking of what he'll do next when Ben says unexpectedly: "Wait right her. Don't move. I'll be back is less than a minute." He turns to rush off quickly but turns after a few steps and reiterates: "Right there; don't move, please." He turns away again a disappears around a corner.
Josh is not sure what to make of just what happened. He wasn't told to leave, but Ben was in a hurry to do something. "Maybe he's gone to get someone else to tell me to leave," he thinks to himself. True to his word, Ben is back is less than a minute with a lady who seems to be in her early to mid-fifties and probably in charge of the gallery. "Yeah," Josh thinks to himself, "she's gonna kick me out. She probably has the authority while Ben didn't or something."
The older lady walks right up to him and says: "I'm Jessica McClain, administrator of this gallery. Ben tells me you're a friend of Maya Hunter's?"
"Yes ma'am I am," Josh replies politely, hoping she doesn't start yelling at him to get out. But he's completely surprised at what she says next.
A lovely smile comes to her face as she asks: "How is Maya? We've all been so worried about her and didn't have any way of knowing how to find out about her. Several of us had her cell number, but she just wouldn't answer any of us. We were beginning to think the worst concerning her."
Josh is somewhat shocked but relieved at her reaction to him. And he sees the concern on hers and Ben's faces. "Maya was drinking heavily, as I'm sure you knew," Josh begins. "And it almost killed her." Jessica and Ben both gasped at his words. "But she's in rehab now and is getting better." His two questioners breathed a sigh of relief. Josh also notices several people gathering around them as they talked. Apparently, word had gotten around that someone who knows Maya was in the gallery. One young woman and man, who seemed to be around Maya's age, seemed particularly interested in what he had to say.
Jessica notices the people gathering also and decided they needed some privacy. "As you can see Josh, there are quite a few people who are interested in what you have to say about Maya. We shouldn't be discussing this here, so let's all go to the conference room adjacent to my office and you call fill us in about Maya's condition. That is, if that's okay with you Josh."
Yes, of course; I'd be happy to," Josh says; intrigued and happy with their interest. He follows Jessica to the conference room to continue their discussion.
When they get into the conference room, there are at least twelve people crowded into it seemingly wanting to know about Maya. "Josh, please tell us as much as you can or want to about Maya," Jessica begins. "Everyone in this room has been worried about her and you're the first source of any kind we've had concerning her."
Josh looks around the room and sees nothing but concerned faces on everyone in the room. He decides to start from the beginning: "My name is Josh Matthew. My niece, Riley Matthews, is Maya's oldest and closest friend. That's how I met her, through Riley. We met when I was ten and she was seven. So I've known her for most of her life, and mine." That brought smiles to everyone in the room. "She grew up in New York while I grew up in Philadelphia, but we would always see each other occasionally at family functions and have always been friends. The reason I'm telling everyone this, is because I'm not just some casual acquaintance. Maya is like family to my family, including me, and has been for years. So everything I'm about to tell you concerning her, I've seen it directly, and lived it." Josh pauses for a few seconds before continuing, to allow what he's just told them to sink in. "As I was telling Ms. McClain and Ben here, Maya's drinking almost killed her." Again, several gasps are heard from the little crowd. "But she finally realized she had a huge problem with her drinking and asked for help. That was an answer to a lot of people's prayers." He saw several relieved smiles around the room along with one of his own. "We took her to a very well-recommended rehabilitation center for treatment. It's been hard for her, as you might well imagine, especially the first several days while she was detoxing." Now Josh sees the relieved smiles on all the faces turn into concerned looks. "We weren't able to visit her while she was going through detox, but her parents received daily reports on her progress which they passed on to us, her closest friends. And I can tell you it was heartbreaking." Josh's voice cracked as he remembers those painful first few days, which shows the group that Josh deeply cares for her. After composing himself, he continues: "But she fought through it. Those of you that know Maya well, know how determined she can be; how fierce she can be when she needs to; and she needed it for her detox." He pauses again so they can absorb what they've just heard. "When she got through that, it was time for her to begin healing. To 'get herself back' as we like to say. As I'm happy to tell you that she's made it through rehab and will be leaving the center is a few days, and coming home." Josh tears up a little with those words.
Cheers go up in the little conference room as everyone there seems to be celebrating the news he's just given them. After everyone calms down, Jessica addresses him. "Thank you Josh, for telling us what has happened to her. As I told you earlier, we were beginning to think the worst concerning her. This is the best news we could have expected."
"You're welcome, Ms. McClain," Josh answers. Then a wry smile crosses his face as he says: "To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting such a warm reception from any of you. Maya told me how she treated you when she started drinking heavily and the things she said to you all before she left. So I kinda expected you to throw me out when you found out I knew her."
"First of all," Jessica says, "please call me Jessica from now on. And as for your worries, you needn't have been. We all knew that wasn't Maya; not the real Maya we had all come to admire. We were all concerned about her health, that's all. And as I said, we had no way of knowing what had happened to her. You've brought us the best news anyone could have."
"Maya had become the heart and soul of our little gallery," the young woman, who had seemed the most interested in what he had to say about Maya, tells him.
"None of us had ever seen anyone so passionate about their art as Maya was," the young man who had also seemed so interested in what he had to say about Maya, tells him.
"And as a result," now it was the young lady again, "her passion was contagious and drove us to be better artists and caretakers of art. Our little gallery really started growing because of her. So it was a tragedy in more ways than one that we lost her."
"They're right Josh," Jessica tells them now. "This is Kim and Justin. They shared a gallery work room with Maya. They probably knew her better that anyone here. And also benefited the most from her." This brings a grateful smile to Josh's face. "Now," Jessica says, "Ben told me you had originally come in asking for a list of painting supplies?"
"Yes, I had," Josh responds. "When Maya's drinking problems arose, she stopped painting. Then she sold all the painting supplies she had at the apartment she shared with my niece. Everything: paints, brushes, sketch pads, pencils, canvases, and all the paintings she had there both finished and unfinished. That's when we knew for sure we'd lost her, and it may have been too late. But in rehab, she started painting again. When she's released from the rehab center is a few days, she'll be living with Riley in the apartment they shared before. While getting the place ready for her to return to, we noticed that her room didn't look right for some reason. Then it hit us, it was barren. Barren of her art and everything she used to create it. It just looked empty. So Riley and I decided to restock her room so she can begin painting again when she gets there. But we had no idea what to get or where to get it. So I came up with the idea of visiting here to get a list of things to get her."
"We can do better that just give you a list Josh," Jessica tells him. "We can get her what she needs directly from our supplies."
"You mean we can buy what she needs from you?" Josh asks in amazement.
"No you can't," Jessica states flatly, which confuses him. Then she smiles broadly and says: "Because we will donate everything to her she needs. No charge, what so ever." She sees the shocked look on Josh's face and senses he's about to protest their gift. "Josh," she begins gently, "Maya is one of the finest artists I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. And as Justin said, incredibly passionate about her art. To me, it would be almost like a sin not to help out in some way. And before you say anything, Maya is part of our family; our art family. We want to do this. We want to contribute getting this wonderfully talented artist back on her feet and painting again. So, please let us do that."
Josh can see the sincerity on her face and hear it in her voice. He also sees that same sincerity on the rest of those in the room. "Okay," he finally says. "Thank you very much. This will make Maya so happy, knowing you gave all that to her." Josh has to wipe away a tear caused by the kindness and generosity of these good people.
"Good, that's settled then," Jessica says. Then she turns to the group in the conference room and begins issuing instructions to them: "Kim, you've worked closest with Maya. Go to the store room and gather up everything you think Maya will need to start painting again. Include an easel and fifteen canvases of different sizes and take everything to the back entrance to load into Josh's car." She turns to Josh as asks: "Do you have a car with you today?"
"Yes I do, Jessica," he replies. "It's an SUV actually."
"Excellent," she says with a smile, "then you'll have plenty of room."
"Got it, Jessica," Kim replies and heads out of the room.
"Now, Justin," she continues, turning back to the group in the room, "You get whatever Maya will need to continue sketching. You know how much she loves to sketch. Get her several pads, pencils, charcoal, whatever she'll need. Oh, and get a carry satchel too for her sketch pads. She never went anywhere without them." Justin replies 'okay' and heads out of the room as well. "As for the rest of you," she begins, "I know we'd all like to celebrate right now, but we have people in our gallery who may be needing some help, so let's get back to it. We'll celebrate another time. I promise." The room begins to clear out then. "Josh, if you'll get your vehicle and take it to our back entrance, we can load everything into it."
"Alright," Josh answers and leaves to get his SUV. About twenty minutes later, Josh makes his way to the rear of the gallery building where he finds Jessica waiting outside for him. With her stands Justin, who has a large cardboard box beside him. After opening the liftgate of his SUV, Josh sees what's in the box: drawing supplies that Justin was instructed to collect for Maya. They load the box into the SUV. In a few minutes, Kim comes to the rear entrance pushing a large cart filled with the painting supplies promised. For the next several minutes, the four of them load the contents on the cart into Josh's SUV. When they're done, Josh looks at the art supplies that completely fill the rear of his vehicle. And he's amazed at the sheer amount of supplies being given to Maya. If he wasn't completely sure before, he was now, at what everyone at the gallery thought of Maya. And he couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, everyone, this will mean so much to Maya," Josh tells them.
Just as Josh is about to leave with his gifts for Maya, someone in the gallery building begins shouting at him: "wait, Josh, wait; don't leave just yet, we have something else for you." Jessica, Kim, and Justin just smile. They know what it is, but Josh is bewildered. He can't imagine being giving anything that could add to what he already has. It's another young woman rushing up to him, who was getting his attention by asking him not to leave yet. She gets to the door, slightly out of breath, and is followed by what seems like the entire rest of the staff of the little gallery. The young woman smiles at Josh and hands him what seems to be a large poster board, folded in half. "Here," she says, handing the folded item to him, "this is for Maya too."
Josh thanks her as he takes this latest gift, but still doesn't understand it's meaning. On the outside is a caricature of an artist working diligently on a painting. It's a drawing of an attractive blond woman, steeped in concentration on her work. It's obvious that the woman in the drawing is Maya. Josh marvels at this beautiful piece of art that has obviously just been created. "Thank you," he says to no one in particular; not knowing who drew it, "Maya will love it, I'm sure."
"Open it," the young woman tells him. "It's actually a giant card we just made for Maya. It's from all of us." Josh is touched by this gesture, but wasn't prepared for what he saw when he opened the just-made card. In the middle of the left-hand page, written in beautiful script, were the words: "Be Well Maya." On the right-hand page, also in the middle and in the same script, were the same words: "Please Come Back Home to Us." And surrounding the words on both pages were signatures and what seemed to be well wishes, all hand written.
The idea of the card was Allison's," Jessica tells him, indicating the young woman had handed him the card. "And I thought it was a wonderful idea. She's been working frantically since you left to get your vehicle, to get it finished before you left. It's been signed by everyone here. Maya knows them all."
Josh is genuinely touched by what they've done with this card and his eyes moisten up a little. He looks at the group gathered around him and says: "The gift of these art supplies was more than generous and completely unexpected. But this," he pauses and indicates the card, "this is more that than any one of us who know and love Maya could have ever anticipated. Maya will absolutely love this. And it will help her to transition back into her real life more that you know. From all of us, her family and friends, thank you for this. I can't wait to see Maya's face when she sees it."
There is some sniffling in the crowd and not a few wet eyes. After a few minutes of silence, as everyone takes in what's just taken place, Jessica has one last thing to tell Josh: "Josh, I have something I want you to tell Maya and make sure she understands that it came straight form me." After Josh acknowledges what she's asked of him, she continues. "Tell her that when she's ready, and if she wants to, we would all love to have her back with us, her art family."
Josh didn't think they could surprise him anymore, but they just did. "Thank you Jessica," Josh says with genuine appreciation in his voice and on his face. "I will tell her that myself and also make sure she understands that it came directly from you."
After a long session of goodbyes from Josh and the gallery staff, Josh's final statement to them was: "I believe I'll be seeing all of you again….soon." With that, Josh gets in his SUV and heads back to Riley and Maya's apartment to deliver what's in it.
On his way, he calls Riley to tell her what has happened and ask if there's any way they could get some help getting everything into the apartment and into Maya's room. After Riley calms down from hearing his news, he heard her screaming and jumping all over the room, she says: "We're in luck Uncle Josh. Brody, Farkle, and Lucas are on their way over already to put up 'Welcome Home' signs in the apartment to….well, welcome Maya home," she says with a giggle. "They should be here before you and can help."
"Great," see you soon," he tells her, and hangs up. When he arrives, he finds he'll be able to park in a loading/unloading zone near the apartment. He sees the three men Riley mentioned, along with Riley waiting for him. With the five of them working, they get everything into Maya's room and set up in no time. After the last things are moved from his car, Josh finds a parking place and then returns to the apartment where the four are putting the final touches on the welcome home decorations for Maya.
"Looks good guys," Riley says. "Maya will love it."
"Okay, our work here is done," Lucas says, "guess we can leave now."
"Yeah, I need to get back to the pub, "Brody says, "my shift starts soon."
"I need to leave too," Farkle adds. "I've got some reports to look over before I can go home today. Riley, make sure you get plenty of pictures when Maya sees all this. We all want to see her reactions."
"Oh yeah," Lucas exclaims, "those should be priceless to see."
"I wish you guys would be here when she gets home," Riley says with a pout. "She'll want to see you when she leaves the rehab center."
"Riley," Farkle says, "we've already talked about this. When she comes home, it should be to her family first, and that includes the Matthews; the whole Maya Committee." That brings a chuckle from everyone. Maya's told them all about the Maya Committee.
"That's right Riley," Brody adds as he hugs his girlfriend. "I agree with Farkle. Besides, her and I aren't exactly on speaking terms right now."
"I know honey," Riley says, "but I hope we can change that someday."
Yeah, me too," Brody replies, then kisses her. She makes him hold the kiss for several seconds. She loves kissing him. It lasts so long though, that it becomes uncomfortable for the others.
"Alright you two, "Josh finally says, "get a room!"
This causes everyone to start laughing, except Riley, who turns bright red with embarrassment. "Uncle Josh!" She exclaims. "What are you implying. It was just a simple kiss."
"There was nothing simple about that kiss Riley," Farkle chimes in, which brings about another round of laughter form everyone…except Riley, again.
"Brody!" Riley declares, "say something! Defend my honor!" Riley seems angry, but she's faking and trying her best not to laugh, but is still embarrassed at what her uncle just said."
"Your honor is safe Riley," Josh declares as he gets this stuff together and prepares to leave with everyone else. "And I have some reports to look over as well. And if I don't see you before, I'll see you at the rehab center in three days to bring Maya home."
This brings a big smile to Riley's face. "Bring Maya home," she repeats. "I really like the sound of that."
"We all do Riley; we all do," Josh says with a smile as well.
Goodbye hugs are exchanged as the guys leave Riley and Maya's apartment to continue their days.
Three days later…
The whole Maya Committee: Shawn, Katy, Cory, Topanga, Josh, and Riley are standing in the lobby of the main building of the Zachariah Rehabilitation and Recovery Center. They are there for Maya's release from the center. They are all a little nervous, but mostly excited and happy that Maya is finally being released. It's hard to tell who's the most excited. Riley seems to be, but she always wears her emotions on her sleeve. But without a doubt, it her parents: Shawn and Katy. The past year and a half has been hard on them both and tested the bond of their marriage. They almost worried themselves sick over Maya's health. And they almost gave up and thought they'd never see her again…alive. At times, they wanted to blame each other for what happened to her. Shawn kept telling himself that he had told Maya that he'd always be there for her. And Katy wanted to tell herself she'd failed as a mother. But in the end, they didn't blame each other, but rather held onto each other. So today is a big day for them. Almost as big a day as it is for Maya. Cory and Topanga had a hard time as well. Maya was a second daughter to them, especially before Shawn came into her life. It was by far the most painful thing they'd ever been through and they were grateful they had each other to help them through it. It may have been Riley who hurt the most. She went through everything Shawn & Katy and her parents went through, but had no one to lean on for support. She chose that for herself though. She hadn't told her friends and she hadn't told her favorite uncle, even though she knew he held a special place in his heart for her. And looking back, she decided it was a blessing Josh found out on his own. They both had someone to lean on then and they both needed someone. Their bond, which was close already, had grown even stronger through the ordeal.
As the six stood there anxiously, the door in the lobby that opened into the rest of the center opened, and Maya, Chrissy, and Dr. Anderson came through it. Maya was pulling a small, wheeled suitcase behind her which held the personal belongs she'd had while being a patient there. As they approached the group that was her family, her smile grew bigger and bigger. And so did theirs. As she stopped after reaching them, Katy asked: "Ready to go home Baby Girl?"
"More that you could ever imagine mom," she answers. She sets her suitcase upright and turns to face Chrissy and Dr. Anderson. "Chrissy, Dr. Anderson," she begins, then her voice cracks as she tries to keep her composure, but tears fill her eyes and begin to run down her cheeks as she looks at these two people who she now considers heroes that's she grown to love. "Dammit!" she exclaims. "I promised myself I wasn't going to cry," she says in frustration. That invokes some gentle and understanding laughter from everyone.
Riley comes up behind Maya, put her arms around her, and says: "It's okay Maya. You're allowed to cry at a moment like this."
Maya can't help but smile at her best friends' words. "Thanks Riles," she says. She turns back to Chrissy and Dr. Anderson and says: "thank you both for everything you've done for me. You saved my like. I will never be able to repay you for that." She hugs the two tightly and holds the hug for several minutes. Muffled sobs can be heard during the prolonged hug. But the group can't tell if it's Maya, Chrissy, Dr. Andersson, or all three.
When they finally part, Dr. Anderson says: "You're welcome Maya. And as for you repaying us, live a good, healthy life from now on and it'll be more than enough repayment."
Maya nods her head, acknowledging Dr. Anderson's wishes and turns to Chrissy. "I'm really going to miss you Maya," she begins. It was a pleasure working with you and a joy watching the wonderful young woman that these good people here," she nods at the Maya Committee, "all knew was in you, come back to them. I'm really going to miss you, but I'm glad you're leaving us."
This gets a big smile from Maya. "Understood" she says. "And I'll miss you too."
"You are going to come to our weekly recovering addicts' meetings, aren't you?" Chrissy asks her.
"Oh yeah, you can count on me being there," she answers with a smile. "And you can take that to the bank!" She adds with a laugh.
Maya hugs the two rehab employees one more time, then they leave her with her family. "Let's go," she says to them. "I love this place, but I'm ready to leave it now."
"Then let's go home Peaches," Riley says while doing he best not to cause a scene before they leave.
As Maya reaches for her suitcase, she's stopped by Josh. "I'll get that Maya," he tells her with a smile "so you can walk with your parents." Maya had asked that Shawn and Katy to take her back to Riley and hers apartment. "Thank you," she mouths to him silently. She gets in between her parents, puts an arm around each, and says: "Let's to home." With that they lead the little group out the door to their waiting cars.
One the way back into the city, Maya sits in the front seat of the car with Shawn, who's driving, while Katy sits in the back, enjoying seeing her daughter and her husband so happy being together again. As the New York skyline comes into view, Maya has a look of total peacefulness on her face and says: "The city looks so beautiful."
Shawn is slightly puzzled and gives Maya a quick side glance before asking: "What do you mean Maya? It's just stopped raining, it's overcast, and the city looks so dreary to me."
Maya smiles at her father's reaction to what she's said. And she understands his confusion. But to her, it's a matter of perspective. "This is the first time I've seen the city in over a year and not been in an alcohol-induced haze," she tells him while not taking her eyes off the city skyline. "Everything is so much clearer now. I guess I never appreciated that before, but I've learned that you really understand the importance of something you had, once you've lost it." She looks at her dad now, and they exchange smiles. Shawn also shares an understanding smile with Katy. Maya turns back to her view of the city again and decides to roll her window down. When she does, the cool, wet air left by the passing rain shower floods the car's interior. Maya takes in a deep breath. "And the air smells so clean and fresh right after a rain. I'd forgotten how wonderful that is. I'd gotten used to the smells of the palaces I'd been living in the city that weren't so pleasant. That's something else to appreciate I guess," she says to no one in particular. But Shawn and Katy think they know exactly what she means.
They finally arrive at her and Riley's apartment building. Shawn lets Maya and Katy out at the front door while he parks their car. Just outside the apartment door, everyone is soon joined by Shawn. Riley wanted them to all be together when they enter the apartment so they will be able to see Maya's reaction. Just before they enter, Riley says simple: "Welcome home Peaches," which puts a big smile on Maya's face. Then Riley opens the door and lets Maya go in first. Only a few steps in, Maya stops dead in her tracks and her mouth drops open in disbelief. Instead of just seeing the sparse interior of the apartment as she remembered it, she sees colorful ribbons, balloons, streamers, and other brightly colored decorations. But at the center of it all, dominating everything else, is a huge banner that reads: "WELCOME HOME MAYA." For a few minutes, Maya is speechless.
"Riley," Maya finally says, "did you do all this?" Her voice tells everyone that she is amazed at what she sees inside the apartment.
"Not all by myself," Riley answers. "Josh and the guys: Farkle, Lucas, and Brody all helped."
"Brody helped?" Maya asked in amazement. By this time Maya knows that Riley and him are dating. "I figured he wouldn't want to be near anything that was remotely connected to me."
"He's not as upset with you as you might think," Riley tells her. "I tried to get Farkle and Lucas to be here today, along with our other friends, but they insisted that today should be for you and your family only." Maya smiles at that thought. "And, as you know, Mr. and Mrs. Minkus are planning a big welcome home party for you soon."
"I know," she replies, "I can't believe they're going to do that. And Mr. and Mrs. Minkus will be getting a big thank you from me for what they've done for mom and dad concerning my stay in rehab. I'm still in shock about that."
"What do you think of the place?" Riley finally asks.
"Except for the decorations, it's pretty much looks like what I remember, "Maya answers. She looks at the little group of family and friends, smiles and says: "Looks like home."
"Good," Riley replies, "that's what I was shooting for." After taking a few moments for Maya to look around, Riley continued: "What don't you put your things away and you can see your room. I hope you'll like it to."
"Okay; good idea," Maya tells her. "But I know it won't feel as homey as the rest of the apartment; not at first anyway, until I can afford to get more painting supplies and start painting again. What made this a home to me Riley, besides living with you of course, it that I had a place of my own where I could paint. Till I can get that back, it just won't be the same. But like everything else that's happened, that's my fault as well." She sighs deeply, gets her suitcase, and heads to her room, closely followed by everyone else. Riley smiles at the rest of the group, out of sight of Maya, in anticipation of what's about to happen.
Maya stops at her bedroom door briefly before entering, sighs again, anticipating what's she's about to see, then turns the doorknob and walks in. She barely gets into her room when she stops dead still. Her eyes get as big as saucers and her mouth drops open. She can't believe what she's seeing. Instead of seeing what she expected to see, a rather barren room with just a bed, dresser, and a few other pieces of furniture, what she does see is what seems to be a fully stocked art studio almost identical to the one she once had here. She sees a variety of paints, brushes, a couple of pallets, and an easel. And she's astonished to see that the paints and brushers are like what she had before. And on top of that, there are several canvases of different sizes, stacked around the room, seemingly waiting for her to created something on them. There are also several sketch pads of different sizes along with pencils, charcoal, and a carry satchel for it all. "Am I dreaming," she says to herself. "How could all of this possibly be here," she continues to think. After a few minutes of stunned silence, she finally turns to Riley and asks: "Riley?" She's completely bewildered by what's she's just seen and still not sure if she believes her eyes. "Where?...What?" She stammers hoping that someone can tell her what's going on.
Riley smiles broadly at her best friend, anxious to tell her how this has come about. "While Uncle Josh and I were cleaning your room, getting it ready for you, we noticed how empty it seemed. We realized that we're all used to seeing it all cluttered with paintings you're working on and everything that goes with that. We decided to restock your little studio, to buy you everything you needed to start painting again, but we had no idea what to get. Then, Uncle Josh came up with an idea how to find out. He'd go to the studio where you used to work and ask them for a list of items to get for you." Riley nods to Josh, indicating he should continue their story and tell Maya what happened at the art studio.
"I wanted to ask them because they'd know what kinds of stuff you used, paints, brushes, and the like. We had no clue." Josh and Riley smile at one another as they remembered how little they knew about painting. Josh went on: "When I got there, I asked to speak to someone about what supplies I needed for a painter. At first, they wanted to refer me to an art supply store. But when I told them I was a friend of yours and the painting supplies would be for you, everything changed."
"I bet it did," Maya says with a snort. "Did they throw you out right then or after they told you what mean things I said to them before I left. I know they all must hate me."
"Neither," Josh answered quickly; slight annoyed that she'd interrupted his story. "They told the administrator, Jessica McClain, who wanted to talk to me."
"Then she asked you to leave I'm betting," Maya says, interrupting Josh again. She really didn't want to hear this part of the story, believing it was going to be unpleasant for her, but she supposed it would be her due penance for what she said and did to them."
"Nooo," Josh says, stretching out the word to get her attention. "If you'll stop interrupting me and let me finish, you'll find out what actually did happen." He had annoyance in his voice, and Maya heard it, but she also saw a smile on his face. She's wasn't sure what that meant, but she decided not to interrupt him again. "As soon as Jessica found out that I knew you, all she wanted to know was, if you were okay. And so did everyone else there that knew you. Before I could hardly begin telling Jessica about you, people started coming out of the woodwork. Word spread fast. I ended up telling the entire staff your story and how you were now. And they were all relieved you were okay." Josh could see the astonished look on Maya's face, and maybe a little disbelief. "Maya," he says gently, "no one there hates you. It's quite the opposite in fact. They were all relieved that you were okay. Jessica told me that they knew it was the alcohol that was making you behave like you did. As Jessica put it: 'that wasn't the real Maya that they all admired.' Just like us Maya, they just want you to be safe and well again."
"I don't know what to say," Maya began, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. "After everything I said to them; awful, hurtful, things,…." She trails off, not knowing what else to say. She begins to look around the room; at everything in it. Then, suddenly, a huge thought runs through her head. "This is too much," she finally exclaims. "All this is expensive. I worked hard and saved every penny I could to be able to buy all this stuff, one piece at a time." She looks at Riley and Josh and continues: "This is really, really, sweet of you two, but it's way too much. Let's return it all and get your money back. And then, if you still want to, we can get something much cheaper for me to start over again with."
Josh and Riley look at one another and smile. "We'll I think they'd be upset if we did that Maya. And I doubt seriously they'd take any of it back." When he sees the bewildered look on Maya's face, which he wasn't surprised to see, he explains. "Here's the great part Maya, we didn't buy any of this. After I told Jessica what I wanted from them, instead of giving me a list of items to buy, she donated all this to you. They wouldn't take a penny for any of it. Jessica said it would be a sin not to help you get started painting again. They said you were a part of their art family Maya. And they wanted to help."
After hearing all of this, Maya is stunned. She sits down on the edge of her bed, afraid that if she didn't, she'd fall. "This is truly unbelievable," she finally says. "In my wildest dreams, I would never have thought anything like this was possible."
Josh sits down next to her and puts a loving arm around her to help steady her, because he knows there's more to come. After a few moments, he says: "That's not all Maya, we have one more thing for you that also came from everyone at the gallery."
"More!" Maya exclaims through eyes blurred by tears. Josh nods at Riley who picks up a large folded posterboard that had been placed against a wall in such a way no one could see what it was. She hands it to Maya. "What's this?" She asks.
"Turn it over," Josh instructs her.
She does as he asks and sees the caricature of her on the other side. "Kim did this didn't she?" She asks no one in particular. "She's so good at caricatures. I'd recognize her work anywhere." After admiring the drawing for a few moments, she notices that the posterboard it's drawn on is folded. "Why is this folded?" She asks.
"It's meant to be a greeting card," Josh answers her, then says: "Open it."
She does as he asks. When she sees what's on the inside, an audible gasp is heard coming from her and tears begin to fill her eyes. She reads the large script on each page first: "Be Well Maya" and "Please Come Back Home to Us." Then she reads each signature on the card. She recognizes each name and reads what each person has written. Several wrote: "we love you Maya." Others wrote: "we miss you" and "please come back to us." All this is overwhelming to her and it takes all her will power not to break down. She looks at Josh and the others in the room and finally says: "I…I can't believe this. I though they wouldn't want anything to do with me ever again. I thought I'd never win back their trust and friendship. This is almost overwhelming."
"I have one more thing for you Maya," Josh tells her with a warm, loving smile on his face, knowing what he's about to tell her will probably destroy what little resolve she has left to control her emotions.
"Wha….what could it possibly be?" She studders, almost hyperventilating.
Josh looks her directly into her eyes now so she'll know for sure what he's about to tell her is the truth. "Right before I left the gallery," he begins, "Jessica wanted me to deliver a message directly to you. She told me to tell you that this comes straight from her."
"Okay," Maya says slowly and then swallows hard not having a clue about what he's about to tell her.
"Jessica said," he begins, "Tell her that when she's ready, and if she wants to, we would all love to have her back with us, her art family."
"She said that to you?" Maya asks with a shaky voice, no sure whether to believe what she just heard.
"Those were her exact words, I promise," Josh tells her.
Maya's mouth drops open in total surprise. She tries to say something but can't. She tries to hold her emotions in check, but can't. She looks into Josh's eyes and sees the sincerity in what he's just said, which causes her to break down completely. She begins to cry; a little at first, but then she let's go completely. When she does, the card almost slips from her hand, but Josh takes it from her before it does and hands it to Riley. He puts an arm around Maya, who's now completely overcome with emotion. This causes her to bury her face in his chest and she begins to cry uncontrollably. Josh gently holds her; letting her know that she's safe and can release all the emotions inside of her without fears of anyone thinking less of her.
Katy, seeing her daughter break down like she has, starts to go to her and support her. She knows Maya's tears are tears of happiness and not sadness, but instinct pushes her to hold her oldest. She doesn't get far though before Riley puts a gentle hand on her shoulder, which stops her. "Aunt Katy," Riley softly says to her, "let just Josh be with her right now. Let him be the one to comfort her first. I know you want to go to her, but look at them. Can you see what I see?" Katy is taken aback at first by Riley's request, but then she looks at Maya being held by someone she knows cares for her daughter as much as anyone and more than most. She sees what Riley does, and smiles. "They're good for each other" Riley says to her. "I've thought that for a long time, and this ordeal with Maya has proven it to me without a doubt. He's the one she called when she was most vulnerable; and the most scared. And he went to her without hesitation." Riley knows Katy just wants to be with Maya now, so she asks: "Just give them a few minutes together before you go to her, okay?"
After watching her daughter being held by Josh for a few more seconds, she turns to Riley, smiles, and says: "I do see what you see Riley. And it makes me happy. He's good for her, just like all you Matthews are." She makes sure Cory and Topanga hear her as well. "You're wise beyond your years Riley Matthews," Katy tells her. She gives Riley a little hug before returning to Shawn's side and the two embrace. Riley moves to her parents' sides and they hug her tightly before telling her how happy they are for Maya.
A few minutes later. Maya's crying finally subsides. As she pulls away from Josh, she sees that she's actually stained his shirt with her tears, and she's embarrassed. "Josh," she begins, "I'm so sorry. I'll have that shirt cleaned for you." Josh looks down at the tear-stained part of his shirt, then looks back at her, still holding her, and says: "I don't mind Maya. Tears of happiness never stain anything." Maya just smiles at his words and nods. She's afraid if she tries to say something, she'll start crying again and she doesn't want to do that. She lays her head on his shoulder as they continue to hold one another.
After watching this unfold in front of her for a few minutes, Shawn and Katy decide it's time for them to be with her now. As they approach her and Josh, he lets Maya go and gets off the bed so her parents can sit on either side of her, which they do. "I'm so happy for you Baby Girl," Katy tells her.
"Yeah Kiddo," Shawn begins, "I think you worked with some pretty special people."
"Me too dad," Maya responds. "I can't believe they did all this for me and want me back after the way I treated everyone there." All three look at Josh now, as if asking for confirmation for all of this. And Josh is happy to answer them.
"You can believe it Maya," Josh tells her. "And I saw their faces, all of them. They sincerely care about you and want you back."
Maya smiles at him and says: "I believe you Josh." Then she lowers her eyes in sadness and continues: "I just can't see what I've ever done to deserve such wonderful people in my life."
"MAYA PENEOPE!" rings out loudly in the room and startles everyone in it but one, Riley, who practically screamed it at Maya. All are startled by her outburst, especially the four older adults who've rarely ever heard Riley raise her voice, especially to Maya. She walks over to the bed where Maya is sitting between Shawn and Katy, puts her hands on her hips, glares down at her and says, in a firm voice: "What did I tell you that morning in Uncle Josh's apartment when you came back to us." She glares down at Maya. Practically daring her to brush this off.
Maya looks up at her best friend as everything Riley said to her that morning comes back to her. She knows Riley isn't going to let her off the hook about this. "You told me to never say again: that I don't deserve good people in my life."
"That's exactly right!" Riley exclaims back to her. Still glaring down at her.
Maya swallows hard and says: "I'm sorry Riles. I forgot. I won't let it happen again. Okay?"
Now Riley smiles down at her. "Okay," she says with a smile. "But if you ever do, you can expect to hear the same form me. "Got it!?"
"Got it," Maya says to her; finally smiling again.
Katy scoots over to create a space between her and Maya and indicates for Riley to sit down next to Maya. Riley does, and the two best friends share a warm hug. When they release each other, Katy hugs Riley tightly, then tells her: "You're such a good person Riley. I'm so glad you've been such a big part of Maya's life." Riley blushes from Katy's words, not really knowing what to say in return. But everyone knows nothing else needs to be said.
Just then the intercom buzzes indicating someone wants to be buzzed into the building. "That must be dinner," Riley says excitedly and heads to the living room.
"Dinner?" Maya questions.
"We ordered in," Shawn explains. "Hungry?"
"Very," Maya answers and the rest of the group head to the front of the apartment to eat dinner.
Cory pays the delivery guy for the food and brings it to the table. "Paco's Tacos!" Maya exclaims as she sees the logo on the sacks.
"What else?!" Cory exclaims with a big grin. "This is all about you Maya." Cory had made the suggestion of Tacos, claiming his only motive was welcoming Maya back with her favorite food. But everyone knew that wasn't true, including Maya.
"Mathews," she starts, "I'm told that this was your idea." Cory throws a big grin her way, believing he's scored some big points with the energetic blond, but then she says: "I'm glad you like the same food I do, otherwise we'd probably be eating Brussels sprouts." Everyone but Cory bursts out laughing at this. But he doesn't understand what the joke is and just stares at everyone with a bewildered look on his face, which causes everyone to laugh even more.
Finally Topanga stops laughing long enough to say to Cory, "I'll explain when we get home honey." He just shrugs his shoulders and puts the sacks of deliciousness on the kitchen table for everyone to dig into, which they all do. Everyone makes sure Maya is the first to choose what she wants before they divvy the rest out. After seeing Maya take the first bite out of her taco and moan: "mmmm….this is sooo good," they dive into theirs.
The rest of the evening is spent sitting around the table finishing up the tacos, talking, and laughing. As the talking and laughing begins to die down and the last of the tacos are eaten, Maya looks around the room and can't suppress the grin that forms on her face. "This is so nice," she says. "Thank you all for doing this."
"How do you feel, Baby Girl?" Kath asks.
"Keeping the grin on her face, she looks around the room, and as her eyes moisten slightly, she answers: "Normal; I feel normal mom."
"Best thing I've heard in a long time," Shawn says and embraces his daughter in a big hug.
"Yaaaa!" Riley exclaims and starts clapping. This is quickly followed by everyone else's applause; all happy to have Maya back with them.
Later, when everyone gathers their belongings to leave, they all give Maya one last hug before leaving. She thanks them again for coming before they finally leave. Josh doesn't leave with the rest because Maya asked him to stay for a few minutes longer. Riley's there of course. It's her apartment too. After the others are gone, Maya looks up at the handsome young man that's she known since she was seven years old, and says: "I wanted to thank you especially, Josh, for all that you did for me, beginning with rescuing me when I called you that first night. I don't know where I would be if you hadn't answered. Everyone on the 'Maya Committee' has been wonderful through all this, but you and Riley encouraged me the most, were with me the most. You're my two best friends. And I will never forget what you've done for me…ever. You two are my guardian angles and I love you both." All three are near tears now after hearing Maya's heartfelt words. "You darn Matthews really know how to get to a girl."
Josh grins down at her. He's so happy to see her like she is now, her old self. "Well", he begins, "as Riley always says: 'you're real easy to love.'"
Maya hugs him tightly again and he hugs her back and lays his head on top of hers. It just felt like the right thing for him to do. "I'm trying not to cry again and stain your shirt more," she says.
Josh chuckles. "It's okay, you couldn't stain it any worse than you already have," he says; clearly teasing her. "Ouch!" he suddenly yelps, "that hurt." Maya had pinched his back in good fun. Then they both start laughing, but don't release their hug on one another.
Meanwhile, Riley stands a few steps away and watches the two together. She clearly likes what she sees as a grin spreads across her face. "They're good for each other." Her words ring through her head like they have before. "Someday Maya," she says to herself. "Your someday's coming. It may not have come when you thought it would or how you thought it would, but it's coming." She continues to grin at the two as they embrace.
The two finally release each other and after looking into each other's eyes for a few awkward moments, Josh says: "Well, I guess it's time for me to leave now. Can I do anything else for either of you before I leave?"
"You can stay a little longer and hang out with us for a while if you'd like to Uncle Josh," Riley tells him.
"Thanks," he replies with a grin. "But it'll be better if you two hang out alone for a while; to get reacquainted with living together again." When Riley and Maya both frown a little, he says: "But hey, I'll hang out more with both of you soon. I promise. I've spent too much time away for you and I shouldn't have let that happen."
That seems to pick the spirits up of the two roommates, especially Maya. "Okay," Riley says as a grin returns to her face. "And I have to admit, it'll be fun hanging out with Maya again; just the two of us; like we used to."
"Yeah, that will be fun," Maya says; a grin returning to her face. "And hanging out with you more," she says to Josh, "while I'm not in rehab, sounds like fun too."
"I agree," he says back to her. "Okay, good night you two; love you both."
"Love you too Uncle Josh," they reply in unison; reading each other's minds again. Josh just shakes his head as he heads out the door.
"So what now?" Riley asks her best friend. "What would you like to do first?"
After thinking only a few seconds, Maya says: "let's watch a movie together. I know it's only been a little over a year, but it seems like ten to me."
"I was thinking the same thing," Riley says excitedly. "You pick out a movie and I'll make the popcorn."
"Just like we used to!" The both say in unison, and then start laughing like a couple of little school girls as they go about their tasks. Thirty minutes later, they're sitting on the couch together with a blanket over their legs, eating popcorn and watching the move Maya's picked out. A few minutes into the movie, Maya says softly: "It's good to be home."