November 22nd 2020

Chapter 327
Their Possibility to Hold

The next day didn't go exactly as planned. It started off well enough, with a bed hopping and smiling Haley Hunter back among them, and a chaotically crowded breakfast table filled with conversation. Soon, Maya had gotten her siblings buckled into the minivan and she was off to play school bus. They went to the elementary school first, dropping off the twins and MJ. They waved and ran off, looking forward to her picking them up in the afternoon as they'd been promised pizza.

"Alright, next stop, pre-school," Maya looked into the back, to Haley in her seat. She seemed happy enough about this… at the time.

When they arrived, it became a whole other story. She refused to be taken out of her seat, and she struggled and cried to stay right there. As much as Maya tried to reason with her, she was staying stubborn about the whole thing, so that every time her sister so much as tried to reach for her anymore she would screech. Maya could feel eyes on them from all around, whether they were really there or not.

"Haley, come on, you like pre-school, don't you? What about your friends?" She shook her head. "Why not?" Maya pleaded, desperate. Haley looked at her as though it was the most obvious thing.

"I want to stay with you." Maya sighed.

"I want to stay with you, too, Shutterbug, okay?" she smiled at her. "But I have to go to work, and they're waiting for you in there," she pointed to the building. Haley shook her head, and Maya dropped hers with a sigh, lifting it again to try and think of what she was supposed to do now. "Okay…" she finally had to relent, especially if she expected to make it to first period on time. "Here's the deal," she climbed into the backseat next to her sister and tried not to think of how she was having to negotiate with a four-year-old. "I'm going to take you to school with me, and I'm going to need you to look especially cute so I don't get fired or anything, yeah?" Haley smiled and nodded at once. "What am I even saying, you're always cute," Maya chuckled to herself. "You'll stick with me this morning, and then this afternoon Lucas will come and get you, okay?"

"I want to stay with you," Haley repeated.

"If you go with Lucas, you'll get to see a horse…" Maya countered. Oh, she had her now. "Now, this is the important part. I'm giving you a pass today, but tomorrow you have to go in there when I bring you, okay? If you don't, then they won't let you stay with me again the next time." Whether or not that was true, it was compelling enough that Haley accepted. "Pleasure doing business with you," Maya breathed out, climbing into the driver's seat again and taking off for the high school. On the way, she called the pre-school, telling them Haley wouldn't be coming in that day, sparing them the detail of how she'd been played by a small child.

She didn't figure she'd be late at this point, but she'd definitely have to hurry to get everything set up before everyone arrived and all the while have to explain Haley's presence…

"Please, please, you're always there…" she muttered under her breath, carrying her sister at one hip as she hurried from the parking lot.

"Mrs. Friar!" she heard and let out a sigh of relief almost all at once. Moving along, she came up to Phoebe and Stella, turning to the latter. "Can you write to Helena, see if she's here yet, and whether or not she is, have her go to the art room as soon as possible? Tell her to bring Derek if he's with her?"

"Uh, she's right there, actually," Stella pointed past them, while Phoebe was all smiles for Haley, who had waved at her in greeting.

"Great, see you in third," Maya nodded to the girls before moving toward Helena, even as she had stopped, sensing her teacher was seeking her. "Need a small favor."

Having passed her keys into her student's hands along with instructions, Maya headed for the administrative office. All the while as she moved through the halls, Haley looked around the school, so different from her own with vast curiosity. The principal was not in yet, but Vice-Principal Ríos was, and Maya was eternally grateful that she took one look at her slightly harried art teacher and her small sister and, upon hearing of the situation, promised to handle things with the principal when he'd arrive. With many thanks, Maya continued on toward the art room, where she found Helena, Derek, and a couple others of her seniors just now finishing the set-up.

"Thank you, thank all of you," Maya breathed, taking her keys back and putting them away before sitting Haley on her desk. "This is my sister, Haley, the pre-school truant," she gave her a funny look, and the girl cluelessly laughed.

Giving her class became easier once she'd managed to sit Haley down in her desk chair and equipped her with crayons and paper, so she might create her own work of art. She still had to keep an eye on her as much as she could, though naturally by now she was very calm… She'd gotten what she wanted, and Maya couldn't even be that upset with her, thinking of what was potentially about to happen with their parents.

"Hey, you know how you're the best husband in the world and I love you so much and all that?"

"You've never let me forget it," Lucas confirmed, chuckling. She'd texted for him to call her when he could, while she had second period off, and now here they were. "What's happening?"

"Well…" Maya sighed, looking to where Haley was presently being entertained by Morgan, doing a disappearing act of the 'what's that behind your ear?' type with a quarter. Haley loved it.

She explained what had happened at the pre-school, and the decision she'd made, bringing Haley along with her. As understanding as he was about it all – and he really was – it was easy to give him a pass on the slight comedy of the 'problem.'

"Any chance you can come and get her, keep her with you this afternoon when you're at the ranch, and the Sanderson farm with Troop? No pressure, but I already told her she'd get to see a horse and she is on board, big time." As expected, his response came with no need to consider.

"I should be there right about when lunch ends for you."

The next class went by even easier than the first, as the sophomores came along and Haley spotted Missy. She knew Missy, she loved Missy, and she ran up to the surprised girl at once, raising her arms in the well-known 'pick me up, please?' signal, which Missy knew well.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" she asked, lifting her up.

"I'm in school," Haley beamed.

"Truant," Maya whispered, shaking her head.

Their small visitor did not content herself to simply sit and color this time around. Once everyone had been set to picking up brushes and paint, she started to walk around, looking at everyone's work like this was her class all of a sudden. Either that, or she fancied herself a critic in a museum.

At lunch, Morgan came around with the order from Ma Maggie's which her boyfriend had dropped off, now also including a kid's meal. Maya worried that this treatment would only convince Haley to pull a tantrum again the next morning, but there was no point turning the food away when it was already here.

Lucas arrived, as promised, just a few minutes before the freshman class was set to start arriving. Haley saw him and once again ran and demanded a lift. She received it, and once she was nearer to her brother-in-law's face she had one question alone: When could she see the horse?

"You're going to see more than one," Lucas stared her in the eyes, and he grinned, seeing her shocked reaction.

"Don't have too much fun, please?" Maya came up to them, with 'pleading' eyes.

"We'll do our best," Lucas assured her, leaning over to kiss her. "Hey, Morgan," he greeted the other teacher, who waved back. "Going to need her seat from the minivan," he turned back to Maya, who was way ahead of him.

"Class is about to start, can we just switch?" she asked, and they swapped keys. "I'll get you back for this… Wednesday night," she nodded, trusting he'd catch her meaning.

"Your credit's good," he smiled, and she stretched up to wish Haley a good afternoon before the two of them took off.

Setting off with his little sister-in-law, Lucas set out for Sullivan Stables. The whole ride over, all Haley wanted to hear about were the horses. She'd been there before, at the wedding, whether she remembered it or not, and then looking on sometimes when Nellie had her riding lessons, so she'd seen the horses before, but if she knew one thing about her big brother-in-law it was that he was The Horse Doc, or he would be, a distinction which did not exist to the four-year-old. As such, he would know so much about the horses and would be able to tell her about them. So, as they rode toward the ranch, Lucas told Haley about some of the horses, from Gideon, to Ricky, to Jewel, and Blanca, and Hopper… He told her what they liked to eat, what tricks they were good at… Now she couldn't wait to see them even more.

Lucas took her along once they arrived, holding her hand and letting her walk along, looking to this and that. She'd been told not to run because it would scare the horses. Whether this was true or more of an effort to prevent her running somewhere she could get hurt, she didn't need to know. She understood, and she kept a steady pace as she held his hand, and they were good to go.

"Who's that?" she asked as soon as she spotted a horse, pointing her free hand toward it.

"That's Hopper right there," Lucas nodded, and she gasped, like this was an old friend she knew all about. When they saw another, she asked again and was told it was Jewel.

Haley Hunter was a big hit around the ranch, as she had been at school, with everyone from Donna Devereaux the dance teacher, to Doctor Alvarez, and Juliet, too… And she was as gentle as ever with each horse she met and got to interact with, an affinity Lucas knew to nurture. Maybe someday she'd want to take lessons like her sister. She was clearly a natural, at least at being around the animals.

In time, they got back in the minivan and made their way to Sanderson Farm and Trooper up in his stable. Oh, she knew him most of all. Whenever she and her siblings would come to visit their sister, since he'd been up the road, they would go and say hello to old Troop. If Haley loved hearing about the horses, oh, how many stories he could tell her about this guy… He told one and another and many more after that as the afternoon went along and he finished his usual tasks, looking after the old horse. Haley stood by, and watched, and listened. He picked her up before leading Troop out to walk him around, and as they went, him and the girl and the horse, it was just about impossible not to think of days like this, not too long from now, when he might get to do the same with a little son or daughter of his own chatting his ear off and asking him questions he'd gladly answer.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners