September 11th 2022

Chapter 254
Our Gift For Community

After

Please…

There was a light rap at the door, and it felt like a slingshot, pulling him back to the real world, as though his entire world didn't revolve around this, just him and Aubrey and… Maya… He looked up to the door and was surprised to find a small pack of teenagers in the hallway, just behind the one who'd knocked.

"Is it okay if we come in?" Ava Nash asked. Lucas didn't even have to think about it. His brain seemed to clock in with what Maya would want in that instant, and for that, the answer was…

"Of course, please," Lucas told her, his voice coming rough with exhaustion.

Even before they told him as much, he could guess how it came to be that they were all here, some with flowers, others with stuffed toys, and balloons… It had started with the quiz team, as Rolly had heard from the Hunter twins that their sister, their art teacher, had had her baby but that something had gone wrong, and now she was… well, they didn't know exactly what she was, but she wasn't waking up. Rolly had told this much to Ava, Nika, and Maia, and from there the immediate reaction had been that they wanted to go and see her, needed to. But then from there, it was impossible for the word not to spread, smaller pools already aware by other means now coming together and creating a greater whole. For that, it was Ava, Nika, Rolly, and Maia, and it was Kelsey, and Olivia, and Jenny, and Tre, and Ash… There might have been more, but the others were either unavailable or would come later on with their families… Some of Maya's fellow teachers had been by and would be visiting later, same as several of the ranch's team… But these kids right here… Look, Maya, look who's here… Please…

But still it wasn't enough. She continued to sleep, and even if he told himself that it was good, that the rest would do her good, he would have given anything for her to open her eyes. He would tell her, later. He would tell her how her kids had been here, how they'd brought her presents and asked after her, how they'd all looked upon the new baby and been wonderful with her. The best part of all had been the last present, which Kelsey Farrell carried in her lap. It was a thin box, and when she opened it, the others busied themselves at taking the contents out, page after page filled with art, drawn by her students, and sticking them on the walls. When they were done, it vaguely reminded Lucas of Maya's old room, what had felt like a blanket of protection all around her. If he didn't already feel her love for those students of hers, he felt it today, love and much, much gratitude.

X

Before

"We weren't sure you were going to come," Ash told their art teacher as she and her family came walking into the gym.

"Of course, I came," Maya smiled. Sure, she was so close to her due date now that she could hardly do anything without people thinking she might have started labor, but today was the art auction at the high school, and she didn't feel in any way as though she was too tired or feeling early signs of labor, so there was nowhere else she would rather be.

It had been getting silly at home though. If Lucas wasn't enough, she had Emma, and Eliza, even Ben, watching her like several hawks circling overhead. Then on top of them, there was Marianne, who may not have known exactly what to expect but would still watch her mother for any signs at all that something might have been amiss. She even had the triplets in on it, though in their case, it felt like a game. She'd be doing something, almost anything, and then any one of Lucy, Remy, or Kacey would come along to try and stall her. When she'd ask them why they were doing it, they would just shrug and laugh. It… may have come to the point where she'd started to bait them, the better to amuse them.

Last year, late in her leave, there had still been that one fainting spell playing at their minds, feeling like something they knew, deep down, had been an isolated incident, but still, under these circumstances… They couldn't help but worry. This time around though, there had been none of that. Maya had been extra careful with herself, and she was doing very well. Now, the Friars were having their last family outing before Aubrey came and added to their number. Marianne was very excited to go around with her little sisters, especially to walk around with Mackenzie holding her hand as she did. The one-year-old was enjoying this new freedom of hers, enough so that her parents were very glad about how much she loved tagging along with her older sisters, Marianne most of all.

"Stay together, stay together," Lucas called after the triplets, and the loosening triangle tightened up again. Maya laughed into his shoulder as they walked arm in arm behind their daughters.

"Maybe we should have gotten them balloons," she joked. "Tie them around their wrists, then they bob around in the air, makes them easy to spot in a crowd."

"I might just get right on that," Lucas hummed, and Maya gave him a sympathetic tap on the arm. "You didn't make anything for them this year, did you?"

"Not this time, no," she shook her head. "I told you I didn't, remember?"

"Oh, I do, it's just that, well, I know how you like to catch me by surprise sometimes," he pointed out, and her smile bordered between sheepish and revealing. She did like that, didn't she?

"Yeah, well, I'm still working on the last one, so…" she set her hand at her belly, which made him smile. She had a point.

"Hey, look who it is…" he nodded ahead of them as soon as he saw the group, and when she did, Maya gasped, smiled anew.

Bobby was here… Bobby and the rest of the Davis family were in attendance at the art auction. It had been over a month since the accident, and he had spent most of that time at the hospital. He'd only just been discharged a few days ago. He was still nowhere near recovered and was at present time being pushed along in a wheelchair by his twin brother, but he was here, and that fact was not lost on anyone. The Friars didn't know how long it had been since they'd arrived, but they would imagine that they had not yet had a moment to themselves without at least one student or teacher coming up to them, asking Bobby how he was doing. They might not have been able to get anywhere near them, but then the parents spotted the five little blondes coming along and soon looked up to discover their parents not far behind. In no time, they were excusing themselves and directing themselves and their sons toward the Friars.

It was easy to assume, as they looked at him, that Bobby hadn't entirely wanted to be here. More than likely his parents had suggested that it would be good for him to get out of the house now that he was out of the hospital, that this event at his school would be a good place to start. They could see Bobby being too gracious to say no. But they were here now, and everyone wanted to talk to them, and it was a lot for him. More than likely, they wouldn't be staying to the end of the night, if for much longer at all.

"We're really happy to see you," Maya still had to smile when their two families converged, indicating herself, and Lucas, and with the way they were coming to stand near him, so were the girls. Overwhelming as this evening had been for him so far, he was honestly grateful and happy to see them, too.

"You want to sign my cast?" he looked to the Friar girls. Did they ever. Most of them may not have been able to successfully write their names, but they could leave their mark nonetheless, and so they did, right around where their parents had soon done so.

"You know, it won't be long now before we start your lessons. Are you ready?" Maya asked Bobby.

"As surprised as I am to say it, I really am," he nodded, making his parents and brother laugh along with Maya and Lucas.

The plan had been right there for them to put together once they thought of it. Bobby would be at home, and so would Maya. With the timing of his release from hospital and her due date, they had decided to wait until after she had the baby, but once this had happened, she had committed herself to tutor him, to ensure that he would get to go into junior year in the fall. She'd been preparing his lesson plan over the past week.

Not unlike the previous year, walking through the auction exhibit felt great to Maya, after having been on leave for about two months already. Last time, she'd had a one-month-old babe with her, and now she could watch that same girl, a whole year old, showing her 'museum skills,' along with her older sisters. It was one more of those surreal moments, the kind she and Lucas never wanted to forget.

This year, the latter half of it, seemed to be echoed in the kids' work. To Maya, it reminded her of when they'd lost Lambert, the great shock of it. Bobby had not died, no, but he'd come so close, and it was a lot to take in.

"You're going to want to bid on a lot of them, aren't you?" Lucas guessed, and she could hear the grin in his words. She was tempted to smack him but resisted.

"I'll behave, I promise," she mock sighed. "If I haven't resigned myself to the fact that, the longer I teach, the more material I'll end up accumulating from past students..."

"We're going to need a bigger house, huh?"

"We'll think of something, no worries," she brushed off the notion. "Wow..." she breathed, seeing what Ash had made. It was as detailed of a piece as she'd ever seen them create, and she could see why it was drawing the attention it did. The subject, the inspiration, had clearly been Maia Bennett, and one could see the love they had for their girlfriend.

Some of the bidders in attendance seemed to think that there was something too revealing about it and had tried to complain, giving Maya the opportunity to step in with her art teacher and art major hats over her head and defend her student's work. By the grin on her face as she stepped away, it was the highlight of her evening.

"Defender of the arts," Lucas extended his hand to clasp hers again.

"That's me!" Maya laughed.

"So proud of my wife," he kissed the side of her head.

"Well, thanks," she fanned herself and laughed.

The night was as successful as ever, their earnings as generous as they would hope them to be. The Friars came away with a reasonable three pieces, two chosen by Maya and one that Marianne just had to have for hers and Mackenzie's room. They would hang that one up the next morning, finding it a fine addition to the decor.

"It reminds me of her," she'd said, with a look to suggest she wanted to say the baby's name but didn't. They understood that she was referring to the book character that had inspired her choice of name for her new sister. The secret had to hold, just a few days more...

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners