June 21st 2020

Chapter 173
Their Night With Friends

Getting the feeling that it would be a while before the next puppy came along, Lucas and Maya had gone ahead and stepped outside for some fresh air. He sat down on the steps, letting out a breath. She let out a chuckle as she sat next to him, just further back enough so that she could clamp her hands on his shoulders and give them a squeeze.

"Almost there," she reminded him. "Just think, tomorrow the wedding, and in a few days we are flying out of here for a bit of lune de miel action." Lucas couldn't help but smirk, turning his head to catch the look on her face.

"That's definitely something to look forward to," he agreed as she nodded along. "You, filling all those sketchbooks. Me, providing you with all the pastries you want…"

"Us, walking off those pastries through the city," she added with a laugh.

"See, we're all set."

They were still laughing for the fact that several of their friends and family had gifted Maya with a fresh new sketchbook, for her to use while they were off on their honeymoon. She was now the proud owner of ten new books, which did not even count the one Lucas had gotten for her, or the one she'd gotten for herself… A dozen sketchbooks, enough to dedicate one to each of their full days out in France, arrival and departure days aside. Whether or not this would happen, whether she would actually pack a dozen sketchbooks along for the ride, she couldn't say just yet, but she would have to decide soon enough. They were flying off three days after the wedding, allowing them to stick around for the 4th of July and Haley's third birthday party.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight," Maya breathed, leaning her head to the back of Lucas' shoulder. "Too much stuff…"

"But if you don't sleep, you'll be dead on your feet tomorrow, and you'll miss everything," Lucas pointed out, getting hold of her hand, pressing it between both of his.

"I think I could run on pure adrenaline," she confidently declared. "Then when it's all over, I will be free to crash and sleep all of Saturday."

"I remember you trying that once before," he laughed. "That did not work, and I had to carry you home. You are just going to have to sleep tonight."

"How?" she asked in a pitiful tone.

"I will help you," he promised.

"How?" she asked again, this time intrigued and playful.

"I could read to you from one of my textbooks. One of the big ones with all the technical talk," he suggested.

"It does make me sleepy when I help you review," Maya reflected for a moment before making a noise he took to mean 'pass.'

"How about I just hold you real close until you fall asleep, maybe rub your back… tell you a story…" She smiled.

"Now we're talking."

A few seconds later, Kai appeared at the door, telling them another puppy was coming. They headed back into the house and to where Coraline had been settled these past several hours. The seven existing puppies, good and dry by now, remained cosily lined up along Missy's legs, though some of them tried to climb over and under, leaving the girl to gently set them back again. Meanwhile, their mother was busy looking to the newest addition, which had come along in the time Kai had gone to get the others.

"How does it look?" Lucas asked.

"Good, I think," Missy reported. Number five nearly slipped off her leg and was caught at once. For what they could see, she was right. The puppy was being cleaned up as they looked on, and it absolutely looked alive and thriving.

"Looks like another female," he declared.

"Four to four, we need a tie breaker," Maya announced in a muted announcer's voice.

"Pretty sure we have one of those coming down, but it might be a while," Lucas told her as he sat back down on the ground.

Missy's grandmother came around again, asking her guests if they would be staying for dinner. The question had caught them off guard, but then they'd looked at the time and… yeah, it was getting closer to that time, would be even more so, possibly, by the time they were through with the birth. So, they all accepted.

"She would never let us all eat in here like this if it wasn't for the puppies," Missy told Kai and Maya, even as Lucas gave a knowing chuckle.

"You know, when my parents were newlyweds, they used to come out here every once in a while. The way my mother talks about your grandma, it's like she's the queen of hostesses." Missy nodded at this to show that yes, she did know this very much.

"Are you saying she's like the original Melinda?" Maya's eyebrow arched at this, taken with new intrigue.

"Not nearly as intense, but yes," Lucas confirmed.

"Wow…" Maya could only blink in awe at this, just as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She'd set it silent so not to startle the dogs, and on the whole it had remained as it was, no vibrations, which she figured was thanks to this being hers and Lucas' day to relax… mostly. When she saw that she was getting a call from Sophie, she was left conflicted. What if there was something wrong for tomorrow.

She showed her phone to Lucas, who thought the same and quietly signed for her to take it. She quickly stood up from the ground and moved out of the room before answering.

"What's wrong?" she asked at once.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong," Sophie promised at once, laughing. "I just wanted to check in and tell you everything was going well, I figured you'd want to hear it."

"Oh… Good, thanks," Maya calmed down at once.

"So, what are you two doing today?"

"Nothing much, you know, birthing some puppies."

"You're doing what now?" Sophie asked, the confusion echoing out until Maya could practically see her face in her mind.

"Missy's dog is having her puppies, we're out here to help out," she explained with a laugh.

"Oh, Coraline?" Sophie sounded excited now.

"Yeah," Maya nodded. "Got eight so far, four boys and four girls, we're waiting on the ninth, probably the last. According to Dockleberry back there, that's more than usual for her breed. And all alive and doing well so far," she went on reporting, pausing after a moment to give a light knock to the wooden steps where she sat. So maybe she could be a little superstitious sometimes.

"You're taking lots of pictures, yeah?" Sophie pleaded.

"I am, yeah," Maya smiled. "Trying to keep track of who's who, pretty easy so far, the spots and patches on them are distinct enough." She didn't know if there was a specific term for that, but Sophie would understand.

"Good, send them all. Are you all going to be there much longer?"

"Hard to say, all depends on Coraline, and we're not about to rush her."

"No, of course not," Sophie agreed. Maya squinted for a moment, silently rising and moving to stand at the window. From here, they could see their house, way in the distance, and right now she spotted a familiar car.

"You're at the house!" she 'accused' in a whisper. "I can see you, Ginger, you're…" She gasped, pulled back to the morning's speculations. "Kidnappers!" she whispered. "Conspiring to separate me from my beloved," she declared in her best twang.

"It is one night, and it's tradition," Sophie pointed out, and Maya tried not to laugh, watching her way off in the distance, looking like she was trying to find where she was watching from.

"You do realize that this 'tradition' was, I'm assuming, to guard against any actions between the bride and groom which, you should know as we lived together for four years, have already been… performed. I'm already going to have trouble falling asleep tonight and I was promised cuddles from a handsome future vet who spent all day being very sweet with some tiny, tiny puppies."

"You make some excellent points, you do, but we were set on a mission, and that's just how it is. I don't have arms like him, but I will help you get to sleep if that's what you need. The deal is that one of two things happens: Chiara and I take you to my Mom's, or Asher and Ray take Lucas to the Garcias', you take your pick. Personally, I'd go for option one, we can go swimming, that'll relax you, might help you fall asleep."

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Maya sighed.

"Nope."

"So you guys are all out there now?"

"Obviously, since we don't know who's staying and who's going away. I really want to see the puppies now, but it might not be a good idea to crowd everyone right now, yeah?"

"Probably. But I will send pictures, and I'm sure they'll be okay with you guys visiting in the next few days and weeks. Speaking of which, I should get back, next one might have come by now. You guys go ahead and let yourselves in, we'll be back as soon as we can. Raid the fridge if you're hungry."

"Will do!"

Getting back to the others, Maya was relieved to find that she hadn't missed anything. They were still waiting on any new puppy to come along. In the meantime, the existing eight had been brought back to Coraline so that they might try and feed, which they were doing now, a bunch of tiny bodies suckling at their mother.

Maya relayed what she'd gotten from her call with Sophie, from the fact that their Houston contingent was back at the house, to their choice of kidnappers and kidnapped.

"What do you want to do?" Lucas asked her.

"Trick question," she pointed at him with a smirk. "I don't know, I mean if I go, swimming really might be the best way to make sure I fall asleep. Not that I couldn't go out to the lake, but late night swimming feels better if it's in an actual pool."

"Then you should go," he agreed. "It's only one night, and after that, well…"

"No more after that," Maya smiled back, sitting on the ground with him. "Fine, fine," she relented. She took a picture of the pups feeding, adding it to the many she'd already taken, discreetly, respectfully, before sending the lot over to Sophie.

They were served dinner by Joanne Sanderson in due time, and they were still working through their plates when Coraline turned about in such a way as to alert them another puppy was on its way. Lucas passed his plate to Maya, already reaching for it, before turning his attention to the dog. In next to no time, the ninth and last – as they would soon confirm – puppy came free of its mother. They all looked on as it was attended to. For all their fears, they had yet to lose any of the pups, and they really wanted to keep that record going with this one. Maya poured all her hopes, her 'powers' as the bride into Coraline seeing all nine of her puppies alive and thriving. The ninth looked just as good as the others, and the tie was broken with the female pups winning it out by one, five against four.

"You did so good, mama," Missy kissed her dog's head, laughing at the look on her face, so proud and happy, like she was saying 'look at all these fluffy things I made, aren't they awesome?' Maya and Lucas shared a look of their own. It really was the best way they could have spent this last day before their wedding.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners