A/N: I don't own Degrassi.
After an agonizing three weeks, Maya couldn't believe she was standing in front of a door leading to the new small but cozy apartment of Cam and his mom. She felt excitement and hope. Finally, Cam is going to resume his normal life and continue his recovery. When she received a call early this morning, she almost passed out in shock when she saw Cam's name flashing on her screen, which only meant one thing—he had access to his cell phone again and was released from the hospital. Begging her sister for a ride, Maya managed to convince Katie to drop her off at his mom's place after school. She didn't want to pass up a chance to see him for the first time out of the hospital.
She tapped the door a couple of times, smiling immediately when a happy Mrs. Saunders greeted her. "Hey, Maya. Come in, please!" She opened the door wider and gestured for Maya to come inside. Boxes were scattered around the apartment, but a small amount of furniture had already been set up. It was really beginning to look like a home.
"This apartment is great," complimented Maya as she scanned the room. She smiled as her eyes landed on a family photo of the Saunders family.
Cam's mom wiped her forehead, "Thank you. It takes a bit of time and energy to move though." She shook her head, causing a piece of curly brown hair to peek out from underneath her bandana headband, and she took a big breath. "We should be almost done with arranging the heavy furniture."
Before Maya had the chance to respond, an eager Cam barreled out of his room. She barely had time to process the sight of him jogging towards her before his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her tightly against him in a close embrace. Grasping his shoulders as he pulled in, Maya's surprise quickly subsided and was replaced by pure excitement to see him. After all that's happened, it seems almost unreal to see him out of the hospital—no more IV in his arm and being confined behind dull walls—just typical Cam wearing his favorite sweatshirt, featuring his favorite team, and sporting a genuine smile. It's all Maya wanted to see.
Her stomach fluttered when she felt a pair of lips gently press against her neck, and she had to force herself to suppress a sound of protest that was ready to escape her lips when his own pulled away. Cam pulled back and briefly made eye contact with her, his lips conveying a sweet smile. Maya returned the affectionate look before turning toward Cam's mother, whom to her embarrassment had witnessed all of the PDA and was grinning widely at both of them.
Finally remembering that his mom was in the same room, Cam hesitantly faced her with a deep blush splotched on both of his cheeks. "Sorry, mom." He said sheepishly, while scratching the back of his head in discomfort.
Brushing it off, Mrs. Saunders shook her head. "Don't worry. You two should take some time to catch up." She reached over the kitchen island she had been leaning against to grab her purse. "I'm happy that you came now, Maya. I need to run to the store to grab a couple of things, especially Cam's fruit snacks. You can keep him company while I'm gone." As she spoke, she pulled out her cell phone and began typing a grocery list.
For the second time in the last five minutes, Cam felt embarrassed. "Mom," he whispered, shooting her a pleading look. Maya covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
Mrs. Saunders looked up from the screen with a confused expression. "What? I only said that I needed to get you fruit snacks." Her eyes widened as another item came to her mind, "Oh! And a pack of juice boxes."
Cam rolled his eyes in frustration, while Maya laughed softly at the exchange between them. She extended her hand towards his own, brushing it softly before pulling away. "Got it, Mrs. Saunders. You can count on me."
The tired brunette smiled at Maya gratefully, adjusting her purse onto her shoulder. "Okay, I'll be back soon." She hesitated for a moment, considering whether she should embarrass her son any more and give him a kiss. She decided to go with the embarrassment. "Bye, kids." She kissed Cam's forehead before heading out.
Once the door was closed, Maya focused her attention on Cam, whose face resembled a tomato. She shook her head, stepped closer to him, and wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you so much," she whispered.
Cam sighed, returning the embrace. He couldn't vocalize how much he missed her, his guilt, or his uncertainty. Leaving the hospital forced him to remember his usual routine, a routine that he struggled to get through everyday. He didn't want to think about how hard it would continue to be. "I missed you, too." He felt sad when Maya released her grip on him. He couldn't meet her gaze right away, knowing it held the same emotions he had been feeling.
"I'm trying to unpack my stuff," he exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood. "But, I'm so lost. I was arranging my stuff before you got here, but I don't think I can do anymore right now."
Maya touched his cheek, trying to get him to look at her, "So take a break. Like your mom said, we should catch up."
Nodding his head in agreement, Cam took the hand that was resting on his shoulder and interlaced his fingers with hers. "Okay, but remember I'm not Tori and Tristan, so no gossip please," he joked, leading her his room.
She laughed, "Of course." A thought popped in her head suddenly, not giving her time to think before she blurted it out, "It's weird seeing you out of the hospital and walking around. I mean, I have only been seeing you in a hospital bed." Maya stopped, incredibly mad at herself for mentioning the hospital when they were having a semi normal moment; she panicked when she noticed Cam freeze, but before she could do damage control, he turned to face her.
His expression remained serious as he spoke, "Are you calling me short?"
Realizing he was joking, Maya smiled in relief. It was typical Cam, and the thought of him feeling better even for a moment was incredibly comforting. "No, Cam," she assured. Her smile weakened when Cam let go of her hand. "No, I just can't believe you called me short." He rubbed his eyes, releasing a long dramatic breath, I need some time to think." He started taking a few steps toward his room but paused once he reached the doorway. "Kidding," he proclaimed turning back around and running toward her.
Maya yelped in surprise when Cam bent down, wrapped his arms around her legs, and hoisted her up in a tight hold. "I forgive you," he reassured as he walked into his room with her in his arms.
Maya couldn't control her giggling when Cam dropped her on his bed, but once he lowered himself next to her with his face dangerously close to hers, she forgot how to breathe. Cam pressed his lips against hers in a brief but intimate kiss that left Maya's heart racing before flopping down on his back to lie next to her. He grabbed her hand, his eyes fixed upon the ceiling.
Maya sighed, glancing at Cam's quiet form. "What are you thinking about?" She asked softly, beginning to rub her thumb across the hand that held hers.
"Nothing," stated, trying to manage a small smile, but failing miserably.
Maya turned on her side and placed her hand on his chest. "Cam. Talk to me," she pleaded. She stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something, but he remained silent. "You're not feeling well, right now. What can I do?" The question sounded desperate, but she didn't care. She wanted him to know that she was worried and needed to talk about his feelings, whether good or in his case really bad. "I think expressing whatever you are bottling up inside will help relieve some of the pain you're feeling." She paused as his brown eyes met hers.
"I have tried expressing what I feel, but I can't exactly do it anymore now that I'm the focus of everyone's attention. " He lifted his free arm, a portion of which was covered in bandages, in order to emphasize his choice outlet for releasing the sadness and self-loathing he felt burdening his mind every second of each day. It wore him out. He almost regretted opening his mouth when he saw the heartbroken expression appear on Maya's face, but in this moment he was truly being honest with her. He didn't like sharing his true feelings for the very reason of transferring his pain onto his girlfriend, which was inevitable if he told her every negative, disturbing thought that had crossed his mind. He never wanted her to feel that kind of misery.
Maya adjusted her position on the bed so that her eyes were level with his own, ending up partially on top of him with her leg nestled around one of his. Unfazed by Cam's reaction to their proximity, Maya focused her attention on touching the bandaged arm he had just shown. "Being under the care of a professional can only help you, Cam. Self-harm is not a healthy way to vent, and will only end up making you feel worse in the end."
After a moment of silence between them, Cam spoke. "Sounds like you're an expert on the topic." His brow furrowed as he watched Maya shift nervously like she was guilty of something; he couldn't help but feel a wave of panic and remorse at the thought of Maya understanding what he was talking about. "Maya," his voice rose, "You don't?"
Mortified, Maya shook her head furiously and laughed awkwardly. She opened her mouth, ready to present a prepared speech of denial that she had rehearsed for her parents, sister, and friends—pretty much for anyone who would ask this question. But looking at Cam's wide, sorrowful eyes brimming with tears kept the lie from leaving her mouth. Somehow, the truth replaced it. "My sister went through hell in the past two years. She went to rehab for a pill addiction, her heart was destroyed by Drew Torres," she rolled her eyes at the name, "My role model fell apart before my eyes, I didn't know what else to do. It kept me from screaming at the top of my lungs, basically from letting my family know how much it affected me. Especially, Katie." She smiled sadly, "I couldn't burden my sister who was already suffering, so I kept quiet about it." She glanced at Cam when she felt his fingers thread through her hair and smiled genuinely when he stroked her cheek. "I have made a lot of progress," she desperately wanted to reassure him, "I try to find other ways to express any pain I'm feeling, like listening to music, singing at the top of my lungs, going for a run…anything." Resting her head upon his chest, she listened closely for the sound of his heartbeat, instantly calming down when she found it. "Believe me when I say I understand, okay? I want you to have a healthy outlet to relieve your pain and that can be me." She closed her eyes, snuggling closer to him. "Promise to always let me know when you're not feeling well?"
Cam was never good with words, and in this moment when his throat closed up and his eyes welled with tears, he really was speechless. Despite his difficulty, he focused all of his energy to give Maya an answer that she deserved. "I'm going to try my best to tell you at least one thing about how I'm feeling everyday." He stroked her back, "Okay? I really will." When Maya didn't say a word, Cam lifted his head to get a better look at her, but a mess of blonde hair suddenly bombarded his vision and he was forced backwards by a strong kiss. He kissed her back just as eagerly, instantly protesting when Maya broke the kiss abruptly. She gave him an Eskimo kiss as an apology before announcing proudly, "We're a team."
Cam smiled at her, "You are definitely the most beautiful teammate I have ever had."
The joke caused Maya to giggle. "You are so cheesy."
"I'm the cheesy one?" He retorted, tickling her side.
She burst out laughing, "We both are I guess." Her heart lifted seeing him so happy; she made a note to herself to remember him like this in case she ever saw him at his worst again. Ridding those thoughts from her mind, Maya settled back into Cam's embrace again. Silence fell between them, giving Maya's eyes the chance to close in exhaustion and Cam's mouth to confess the thought that had been bothering his mind. "You'll tell me when you're not feeling all right too, yeah?" He bit his lip when he felt her place a tiny kiss on his chest, "I promise." Her answer put his worn mind at ease, letting him rest his eyes too. They both fell asleep for a much needed nap, and didn't even notice when Mrs. Saunders came home and placed a blanket over them. Cam would eventually wake up and realize in embarrassment that his mom had used his favorite Power Rangers blanket.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! I have been so busy, but I hope everyone likes one. Thanks for reading!