A/N: I noticed there was some confusion on age. There's no logical way I can slip in Lucas' age in dialogue, but just so you guys know, he's 31 in this story. Also Anna is seven (it's in Ch. 4).
Keep the speculations coming! I love reading them :3
Thank you for the kind reviews! I'm glad that you have been enjoying the story! I hope it stays interesting for you all! I appreciate the support and kind words! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World, but… eh I got nothing…
Maya sat at her desk, composing an email to all of the teacher participants for the softball game to figure out the best practice time for everyone. She didn't like that this was so short notice, as it wouldn't give them enough time to really practice, especially if some of the teachers didn't have experience, but there was nothing she could do about it when this had just recently been figured out and all of them were fairly busy people.
"Miss Hart?"
She looked up from her phone where Emily was standing in front of her desk with a look of concern on her face.
"What's wrong, Emily?" Maya asked.
"Umm… Anna doesn't look too good," she responded, pointing behind her.
Maya frowned and craned her head to where the students were all working on their math worksheets in groups. Sure enough, at Emily's table, Anna was sitting slumped onto the table with her head nestled in her arms.
"What happened?" Maya asked, standing from her desk and walking with Emily to where Anna was.
Emily shrugged. "She said she feels sick."
Maya patted Emily's shoulder. "Thank you for letting me know."
They approached Anna's side, and Maya crouched next to her, resting her hand on her back and rubbing it lightly.
"Anna?"
Anna sniffled and lifted her head a bit and sure enough, Maya saw the dazed, watery eyes and pale complexion of a burgeoning illness. Anna looked drowsy and it was obvious that she was fighting to stay awake. Maya slid her hand under the unruly curls, placing it on Anna's forehead to check how hot she was.
"I feel sick, Miss Hart…"
"Your father did mention you weren't feeling well yesterday. You're pretty warm. You might be coming down with a fever."
Anna leaned against Maya's hand, sniffling again and groaning slightly. The entire class's rapt attention was on Anna, all of them more interested in what was happening with a sick classmate than on the multiplication worksheet Maya had assigned. It wouldn't do to keep her in class when she was clearly not in the best of health. She wondered why Lucas would even let Anna come to school that day if she was very obviously dealing with some kind of sickness. Maya got the sense that at times he wasn't exactly observant as a father, but sending Anna to school in her current state was ridiculous.
"Do you want to go to the nurse's office?"
Anna nodded.
"Okay." Maya stood up from her crouch, gently taking Anna's hands and helping the little girl get to her feet. "Can you walk?"
"Yes."
"Everyone, I'm taking Anna to the nurse's office," Maya told her class. "I will be right back. Please continue to finish up your math worksheets in your groups while I'm gone and stay in your seats. If you really need a teacher, go to Mrs. Vernon next door, okay?"
"Yes, Miss Hart."
Maya took Anna's hand in hers and walked her out of the classroom, slowing down her pace for Anna since she was dragging her feet. She led her down the hallway to Tina's classroom next door, knocking on the doorframe and poking her head in.
"Maya?" Tina asked, walking over from where she had been stapling something on her bulletin board.
"Hey. My student is sick so I'm taking her to the nurse's office. You think you could check on my class every once in a while?"
"Sure."
"Thanks. I owe you one."
Leaving the classroom, Maya guided Anna down the hallway towards the front of the school and the nurse's office. A few times as they walked, Anna sneezed, sniffling heavily after each one, and after each one, Maya's heart went out to her, knowing she was probably suffering a bit. When they entered the room, Mrs. Mooney wasn't in there, but none of the little cots were occupied. Maya moved Anna gently towards one of them and pulled the covers back. Anna climbed and settled up on it, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling through bleary blue eyes.
"Did you feel sick this morning?" Maya asked her, tugging off Anna's shoes and setting them on the floor in front of the bed before pulling the covers over Anna and making sure she was completely covered up.
Anna fisted the top of the blanket, looking a little nervous. "Yes."
"Why didn't you tell your father that you still felt sick?"
"…I didn't want Daddy to know."
Maya's brows furrowed as she sat on the edge. "Why not?"
"Because he was almost late for work this morning and running around everywhere because he couldn't find his badge and then he spilled coffee on himself and he kept saying some word that starts with F all morning a bunch of times and he only says that when something is really bad so I didn't want to be another problem for him. I thought I could handle it."
Anna was being way too selfless. She thought she would be a burden to her father if she told him she was sick? Maya easily recognized the pattern in her thought process. She was trying to shoulder everything on her own. Maya had been the same way when she was younger, but it was a hard way to live, especially once she had grown up willing to put everyone else's happiness and desires above her own to the point of being self-deprecating, one of the reasons why Maya had struggled with her view of her self-worth for years.
"It's admirable that you want to help your father like this, Anna Banana," Maya said softly, tucking Anna further under the covers to help her be more comfortable as she snuggled into the bed, "but at your age, it's okay to tell your father or anyone else you trust that you need them. It's okay for you to let other people know what you are going through. If you keep it all to yourself, it makes you feel worse, doesn't it?"
"I just didn't want Daddy to lose his job because of me."
"Lose his job? Because he would have to take care of you when you're sick?"
"We get tardy slips when we're late to school. What if he gets one at work too? I don't want him to get in trouble."
Anna did look sincerely worried about that. She really cared about her father.
"Is your father good at his job?" Maya asked.
"He's the best."
"Then you have nothing to worry about, Anna. Trust me. Your father's clinic wouldn't want to lose their best vet."
"But what if something is going bad at work?"
"Why do you think something isn't going well?" Maya frowned in confusion.
"Because Daddy looked kind of sad yesterday. He was doing that thing where he stands in front of the window and stares outside."
Maya didn't know how to respond to that. If Lucas had actually been sad as Anna believed for whatever reason, it could very well have had to do with something other than work. She didn't know what might have been going on with Lucas, but clearly it was bothering Anna.
Mrs. Mooney walked into her office with a cup of coffee, eyeing them in concern.
"Ms. Hart? What seems to be the problem?"
"I have a student who might be running a fever. I brought her here to get a bit of rest," Maya responded, rising to her feet and heading over to the nurse. "Do you think you could check her temperature really quickly? I have to go make a phone call."
"Of course," Mrs. Mooney said, walking over to her upper cabinets to get what she needed. "I'll take care of that right quick."
"Anna, I'm going to call your father. I'll be back in a little bit, okay?" Maya reassured her.
"Okay," she mumbled, her eyes starting to droop shut.
Maya left the nurse's office, heading right next door to the main office to the file room where they kept student records and information. She opened up the second grade cabinet and flipped through teachers until she got her class'. She rifled through emergency contact information of the various students until she found Anna's. Pulling out her cellphone, she dialed the number Lucas had left for contact. It rang several times before she finally got a response, and even then, it was a dial tone of a call that couldn't pass through. Annoyed, Maya called the second contact number, waiting for him to pick up.
Thankfully, he answered shortly after.
"Hello?"
"Lucas, it's Maya."
"Oh, hey." He sounded a bit frazzled, his voice breathy as if he was walking briskly somewhere. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah. Anna isn't feeling well at all. I had to take her to the nurse's office to get some rest."
"She's sick? I kind of had a feeling she wasn't feeling better this morning. I should have been more careful."
"Right, well what's done is done. I think you should come down and pick her up from school to bring her back home."
"…I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?" Maya rose a brow incredulously. "You have to."
"I know I have to. But I physically cannot. Work is a little crazy right now. I can't just leave my appointments."
"Lucas. I know you're really busy. It's a given in a professional occupation. I get it," Maya said sternly. "I'm not going to force you to come because work is important, but you can't leave her here at school. Not when she's at her most vulnerable. You can't prioritize work over your sick daughter or you'll hurt her more than you can even know."
Lucas sighed on the other line, sounding exasperated and resigned.
"I'll try to see if I can stop by later, but I can't make any promises, Maya. I'm sorry. Today is just not a good day."
"Just do what you can."
"I will. I have to go. Bye."
Maya ended the call, hoping that he would be able to find some time to come to Anna. Because Maya knew firsthand what it was like to be told by your grade school teacher that your parent wasn't going to come bring you home. She knew firsthand the heartbreak in lying in that cot in the nurse's office all day and well into the late afternoon way past the end of school until your mother finally came. She knew firsthand the struggle of bunching herself under the covers and hiding sniffles and tears trailing down wet cheeks.
Of course, Maya understood later that her mother had to work and couldn't stay with Maya because their electricity had been cut off for not paying rent yet and they needed the extra cash. But it was still difficult to go through, the feeling of being abandoned by her mother, left alone while utterly ill to fend for herself. She'd gotten pity from her teacher and the nurse who had watched out for her, but neither of them were her mother.
Sighing, Maya put the files back into the right cabinet and made sure it was properly closed before she headed back to the nurse's office next door. Anna's eyes were closed when she walked in, her breathing thick and a bit strangled from her stuffed nose, and her face a bit pinched up in discomfort. There was a damp cloth on her forehead. Maya could easily see that Anna was not relaxed and definitely having trouble sleeping, though she looked very tired and like she needed the rest.
"Ms. Hart, Anna's temperature is a bit high. She is running a fever. I think it would be best if she went home for the day," Mrs. Mooney said, filling a cup with water and taking a small box of pills from the medicine cabinet.
Maya sighed. "I'm working on that."
"Is Daddy coming?" Anna asked, her eyes barely open as she looked up at Maya.
"…He's on his way."
Maya felt bad for lying, but those baby blue eyes held so much hope and had so many expectations in them. Maya didn't want to crush that hope by telling her her father wasn't even sure if he'd be able to get off work to come get her.
"He'll be here. In the meantime, sleep, Anna. I'll come check up on you later."
Maya didn't want to leave Anna by herself, but she had no choice. Though she hated when her precious students were sick and hurting, Maya couldn't stay. She'd left her class for long enough. And soon they would be going to music class, and Maya had to walk them there.
She sincerely hoped Lucas figured out some way to come get Anna.
~.~.~
As soon as Maya had brought her class to lunch and made sure they had all gotten their lunches and were seated at her class table, Maya headed briskly back up the stairs and towards the nurse's office to check on Anna. She'd been occupied all morning, not having a chance to go back and see how the girl was feeling, but now that she finally had some free time, she wanted to figure out what the situation was with that. She was feeling a little antsy, wondering if Anna would still be cooped up in the bed or if Lucas had managed to come get her in the time that Maya had been away.
She rounded the corner and entered the nurse's office, her eyes drifting to the cots to see if maybe she had already left. But Anna was still there, face pinched up uncomfortably and breathing still thick with her congestion.
"How is she?"
"She keeps drifting in and out of sleep at random times. Par for the course when one is sick," Mrs. Mooney said, watching Anna empathetically. "Poor girl has been coughing and sneezing every few minutes. I gave her some fever reducing medication, but it hasn't done much from what I've been seeing."
As if on cue, Anna suddenly started having a coughing fit, rasping for breath between each small bout. Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at the ceiling sleepily.
It pained Maya to see her that way. "Any word from her father yet?"
"I'm afraid not."
Maya sighed, walking over to Anna's bedside and sitting on the edge once again.
"Miss Hart?" she grumbled.
"You'll be okay, Anna Banana."
Maya smoothed down Anna's hair, rubbing her scalp gently with her fingertips the way that she'd always imagined and wished her mother could do for her when she was sick when she was younger, though it never happened. She relaxed against Maya's leg, for a moment, her breathing settling a bit more, and her face relaxing.
But then Anna had another spiel of coughing, her face twisting up in slight pain and Maya felt sympathy for the little girl. Being sick at such a young age was pretty difficult, especially when the person you wanted the most comfort from wasn't there.
Lucas would come for Anna. He had to. Not just to be there for Anna, but also because Maya knew this was one of the pivotal points in someone's childhood. If he wasn't there for her when she was sick, Anna would never forget this. It would remain a dark cloud in her childhood memories and linger in her heart long after she grew. And it would forever be a point of resentment in their relationship. And Maya didn't want that.
There was knock on the doorframe and the three turned their attention to the door where Lucas walked in looking pretty unkempt, a slight flush on his face and trying to catch his breath as if he had just jogged over or something. Maya let out an involuntary sigh of relief that he had shown up.
Lucas joined Maya at Anna's bedside, leaning down and kissing Anna's forehead. "Hey, Sugar Plum."
"Daddy?" she muttered groggily, her voice sounding garbled and weak. "I'm sick."
"I know. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here," Lucas said apologetically, stroking her cheek gently. "I'll be right back. I need to talk to Ms. Hart."
Maya frowned and looked up at him as he gestured to the hallway for some privacy. She stood up and followed him out of the nurse's office, wondering what he could possibly want to talk about. All he needed to do was get Anna and get lost so she could go home and have some rest to heal from her sickness.
"Maya, I don't know what to do," Lucas said without prelude once they were standing outside the doors.
"To take care of your sick daughter?" Maya asked incredulously, staring up at him like he was an idiot. "Don't you know how to take care of sick people? I get that you're a vet, but humans can't be that different from—"
"No. Not that." He cut her off. "I have a surgery to set a leg planned in an hour, and I can't stay with Anna at home. I can't get off until after five, and Mrs. Coleman is away on vacation. None of the other babysitters are free for short notice either."
Maya frowned. "Then why did you come down here now if you can't take her home right now?"
"I knew you were right. I didn't want her to think she'd been abandoned at school while not feeling well. I had to make sure she at least knew that if I could, I definitely would have made sure to get her home and stay with her."
Maya let out a slight groan in exasperation, running a hand through her hair. This was the most inopportune moment for this to happen.
"Alright, look. Go back to work. I'll take her home after school and watch her for you, okay?"
Lucas' brows rose in surprise at her decision. Hell, Maya was surprised herself that she'd decided that spur of the moment. Her mind hadn't even had a chance to catch up with what her mouth had said, but now that she realized what she'd just offered, she knew it was a pretty huge favour to do. She just hadn't wanted Anna stuck at school until after five.
"You would do that for me?" he asked, a small smile on his face.
"Who else is going to take her home? And there's no way I'm going to make her stay here well past the end of the school day."
"I'm so sorry."
Maya shook her head. "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Anna."
"You're right." Lucas nodded, turning to head back into the room.
Before her mind could catch up to what her hand was doing, she stopped Lucas from heading inside by taking hold of the sleeve of his jacket. He paused mid step, facing Maya in confusion and clearly wondering what she was doing or what she wanted. Honestly, Maya was trying to figure that out too.
"Hey," she started tentatively, all while asking herself if she was crazy. "…Are you okay?"
Lucas stared at her, his brows a bit furrowed from her question. He looked like he was contemplating something, though he kept his expression fairly neutral. His gaze wasn't focused though, and he looked like his mind was far off somewhere.
"…Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just that… Anna said that you…" Maya tapered off, shaking her head and wondering why she was even concerning herself with what Anna had said about Lucas being sad. It wasn't any of her business what was going on in Lucas' life anyway, though he did absolutely look exhausted. "That you were really busy. You look overwhelmed. When was the last time you actually got some sleep?"
"This is normal for me." He smiled. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine."
Maya could easily see that it wasn't reaching his eyes. He was obviously lying, but if he definitely was hiding it for his own personal reasons, she wouldn't bug him or press him. It really wasn't any of her business.
She let go of his shirt. He did look fine if someone wasn't particularly looking for signs of unhappiness, but then again, he could have just been a real expert at masking his pain or problems. Maya would know. She'd been doing it her whole life.
"Okay."
She followed Lucas back inside the nurse's office and to Anna's bed. She was lying on her side, waiting for them to return.
"Daddy, are we going home?"
"I'm sorry, Anna. I can't. I know you wanted me to take you home, but I have to work. I came to check up on you." Anna's face fell slightly from his words, and she sighed dejectedly, her eyes downcast. "Ms. Hart will take care of you in the meantime. But I promise as soon as I'm done with work, I'll come straight home to you, okay?"
Anna nodded, sniffling to clear her nose, though she still looked a little upset.
"I'll see you at home, Sugar Plum." He turned to Maya. "I can't thank you enough. I keep a spare key under the rug in front of our apartment."
"It's fine." Maya waved it off, eyeing Anna worriedly as the girl curled into a ball to try to sleep once again. "Just make sure you come home as quickly as you can. She needs her father."
He pulled out one of his business cards from his wallet and wrote on the blank side with a pen. Once he was done he handed it to Maya. She took it, observing the address he had scrawled on the card.
"This is where we live. Do you need directions?"
"No, I know this place." Maya scrutinized it, recognizing the address being similar to Smackle's. "One of my friends actually lived in this complex."
"Okay, that's good. I'll head back to work then. Thank you again."
"You better make it up to Anna eventually."
Lucas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and once again, Maya could easily see just how fatigued he probably was.
"I'll do my best. See you tonight then."
After Lucas hurried out of the nurse's office, Maya turned to Mrs. Mooney.
"I'll be taking Anna home after school today."
"Alright. That's good. I'll watch her throughout the afternoon then, Ms. Hart."
Maya nodded. "Thank you."
She left the nurse's office, heading to the front office so Mrs. Carpenter could make an announcement that Art Club was going to be cancelled that day so that her members could make arrangements on how to get home as soon as possible.
Maya sincerely hoped that Riley wouldn't find out about her taking Anna home, because no doubt she would give her a hard time about being too close and going to the apartment of said hot dad that she wouldn't stop bringing up. But anyway, Maya was doing this for Anna because she didn't want her deserted at school, not because she wanted access to Lucas' secret life or any ridiculous crap like that.
No child should ever have to feel like they were deserted by their parent.