March 1st 2022
Chapter 60
Our Reach Toward Time
"I can't get it out of my head…" Maya hummed, the next morning, as she slowly paced the nursery floor with Lucy in her arms. Here they were, the both of them dressed and ready for this Wednesday morning, but her little bun-bun of a girl was being a bit fussy, not wanting her mother to set her down. So, she kept her nearby. She didn't have to leave just yet, did she? She was more than happy to keep holding her girl for a few more minutes.
"Get what out of your head?" Lucas asked, as he was seeing to Kacey's outfit of the day.
"Nika, the other day, in the car…" Maya explained. She'd confided in him already that night once they'd been home and had a chance to talk, even if she'd tried to mostly keep the whole thing brief, minding some level of privacy. "I knew she needed to just be reassured, but at the same time… I tried to imagine what she's going through, what she will go through, when the moment comes, and for all I could tell her, I…" she shook her head, at a loss for words that left her holding on to her baby girl like she'd just felt a chill go up her spine at the idea of ever giving her up.
She looked at Lucy, pressing her little hands where they would reach, her soft cheek against the curve of her neck… She'd calmed her down, they were good… It would never be the same, no matter how hard she tried to sympathize. She would never be in her situation, facing a fleeting encounter when the newborn would be right there, in its first minutes, and then gone, taken away by the one who would be its mother… not her, not anymore…
"You feel deeply, all the time," Lucas recognized, all the while working around the way Kacey moved and moved, complicating his ability to dress her. He would make funny faces at her until he had her attention good and locked on, and from there it would just be infinitely easier to keep going. "It's no wonder that this one would hit you, especially with our own girls here."
"Yeah…" Maya had to agree. She kissed Lucy's forehead before attempting to put her back down by her sister's side. The calm held. "I just wish… I don't know… that I could do more? Or that there was any way for her not to have to go through all this, but I know that's impossible, so… here we are."
"Does this help any?" Lucas asked, picking up Kacey and bringing her over. The little blonde smiled immediately at the sight of her mother, and the expression echoed on to Maya's face as she reached over and took her.
"It helps a lot. It really does."
When it was time, Maya took off for the day, driving Marianne to preschool. They arrived there and, when it came time to say goodbye, she got such a hug from the four-year-old. Her little empath of a girl must have caught on that there was something off and the best cure existed in her arms. She was very correct. I would bring you with me every single day if I could…
Next stop was picking up Ella, which fed her joy once more, now in the form of a giddy granddaughter coming to say hello and collect some kisses on one cheek and the other. The ride to their next stop was mostly quiet, as Ella was doing a final bit of reviewing for a test in second period and Maya let her be. This carried on once they picked up Nika, too. She'd had a bad night's sleep and, though the ride was not all that long, she dozed off in her seat almost as soon as they took off. Maya might have left her to go on sleeping once they arrived, but she knew that Nika would not want to let her teammates down. They'd be waiting for her in the art room.
"You met with the vice-principal about after you have the baby yesterday?" Maya asked as they walked into the building together.
"Yeah," Nika breathed. "She was very nice. I figured I'd stay home for a week after. She suggested taking two, more if I need it. Maggie and Lara are going to bring me my homework, and class notes. If I miss tests, I'll have to make them up after I get back."
"That's good," Maya smiled. "If you need help with any of those…"
"I know," Nika smiled. "The team said they'd help, too, they… They're like the big sisters I never had… always wanted… Theo's the best big brother I could ever have asked for, but Lea, and Rosemary, and Ava…" she trailed off, and Maya understood. Born Curious is family… She'd worried about the impact of her freshman pick this year, but now, even if she hadn't known about how things would turn out back then… Oh, she was just so glad to see they'd made the right call.
As they arrived at the classroom, they found the others already waiting, as usual. Aliana continued to stick by her host in these meet-ups and, already on just the third day, the dynamic had shifted. She could have just sat in a corner and done some schoolwork or read or done anything else as she waited for first period, but instead she had been recruited and happily filled in the role of quizmaster. They'd put questions in her hands, and she would start, standing on one end of a station while the four team members would be asked questions. Sometimes they'd just do it in turns, other times, they would 'buzz in,' get points… They'd been in the habit of doing this, two or three times a week, all year, since Nika had joined them. Now, they looked forward to having Aliana as part of the game while she was with them.
"Are you feeling alright?" Lea asked Nika when they arrived.
"Couldn't sleep well," Nika shrugged.
"We don't have to do the questions today," Ava told her, turning to the others like she'd already decided and clearly, they should, too. Maya continued to be taken with the ongoing growth in Ava, the change suiting her as much as it showed what parts of her had always been her building blocks. For one who'd first appeared to care about little to nothing, she was now showing, if in her own way, how wrong they had been.
"You could have stayed home, couldn't you? Maybe just this morning," Rosemary pointed out, with concerned eyes.
"If that was the rule, I don't think I would have come in at all this week," Nika shook her head. She appreciated the suggestion though, and she thanked her teammate, her big sister…
It really didn't take long, once they all sat and got started, for Maya, Aliana, and rest of the quiz team to come to the conclusion that, this time at least, Nika might have been better off sleeping in. She just wasn't there, and they couldn't see how her toughing it out would change anything or help her in any way. Eventually, as they grew closer and closer to first period, a decision had to be made, and the fact that it took so little to convince Nika told them it was the right one. She wasn't going to be able to stay, so she wouldn't.
So, after a quick stop at the administrative office, to let them know Nika would be absent and also that Lea would be able to look after the seniors until she returned, Maya escorted the freshman back to her minivan. She didn't feel right just taking her back to an empty apartment, so she would take her out to her parents' house. They were looking after the girls today, would have gotten the four of them back there by now, and they would gladly tend to Nika.
"I know you want to come back this afternoon, but just try and take the day, yeah? I can tell you what we would have done in class today if you want to do it on your side. I'm pretty sure there's still some materials somewhere in my old room, make yourself at home, okay?"
"Feels kind of weird going to your parents' house, I mean…" Nika gestured, which Maya took to mean 'you're my teacher, you know?'
"Mr. Matthews was my best friend's father before he was ever my teacher, but even then, he was a teacher, so… Yeah, I've been there," she told her, grinning, and it made Nika laugh.
"Okay," she slowly nodded. "I just didn't want you to think that I… ow…" she paused, winced. Maya felt like somewhere in the back of her mind she'd been expecting this to happen, right from the instant she'd gone and suggested her leaving school for the day.
"Nika?" she asked her, turning in her seat. "What did you feel?" She'd already been sure enough, but just watching her and listening to her reply, it was all she'd needed to hear. The girl, on the other hand, didn't appear to understand it yet. "Okay…" she started the minivan again, reversing back on to the street.
"What are you doing?" Nika blinked.
"Taking you to the hospital."
"What? No, I…"
"Nika, I'm about 99% sure that you're in labor," Maya told her. Nika's jaw moved, though no words came out. "Maybe it'll turn out to be false, but I'd say it's much likelier that it won't." Nika didn't argue further, suggesting that she was coming on to her teacher's way of thinking. After a minute, the shock wore off, turned to an edge of panic.
"I-I don't have anything, I wasn't…" she spoke, voice trembling, hands fidgeting.
"It's alright," Maya promised, making herself into a stability she could pull from. "Theo's working today, yeah?" He was. "We'll call him, and he can meet us there."
"Madeline…" Nika breathed.
"We'll call her, too," Maya nodded.
The two calls were made, along with a third to Shawn, letting him know about the change of plans. Apparently, he'd been looking out the window and had seen them drive back out, so he'd sort of guessed this might be the reason. Theo, when they called him, assured his little sister that he'd be there as soon as possible. He wasn't so far off from the hospital, so if he got lucky, he might actually arrive first. Hearing Madeline's voice on the speakers when they called her, Maya was reminded of Nadine and Zay, the day when Mia was born, when they had gotten their call.
"You'll let them know at school? The team? And Maggie and Lara?" Nika asked as they pulled up to the hospital. She figured she was being dropped off before her teacher returned to work.
"I'm not going anywhere, alright?" Maya assured her. "I'll stay with you until Theo gets here, and Madeline, too, and then I'll be in the waiting room." She saw relief wash over her student's face. It was what she'd wanted, though she hadn't dared express it. "You've got this," Maya promised, squeezing her hand. "This is a good day," she smiled. Nika's own smile came tremulous, and she gave a jittery nod along with it.
Today would be Anthony's day. Today would be the day Madeline Miller's great hopeful wish came true. It would be other things, too, for Nika, but the rest… That was what she'd hold on to. Theo arrived not two minutes after they'd gone inside, and Madeline was just ten minutes after that, breathless and looking as though her heart was ready to beat out of her chest. Maya hugged her as she moved out of the room and made her way over to the waiting room, just as she'd said. Her own heart was feeling some trepidations, too, thinking of Nika, sending her what mental vibes she could, to see her through the next several hours and what they would mean for her.
TO BE CONTINUED
See you tomorrow! - mooners
