(Bailey P.O.V)
November came around and surprisingly, it is still fairly warm. I ended up having twins this time around and about four weeks ago, they came into the world. So now Cody and I have Lachlan Alexander, our youngest and Karlee Jane who is the middle child. Kimberlee wasn't too sure what to think of having two new babies in the house for the first day or two but she seems fine now. Today was my first day back at work since they were born. Cody has been at work for about a week now but he decided to take they day off so that I felt a little better about leaving the twins at home.
Pushing the door of the office I was currently assigned at, I was greeted by congratulations from my co-workers. I grinned at them as I made my way to the small cubicle that was referred to as 'my office'. Let me just set this straight though, I am still a nurse but right now I am doing more behind-the-scenes things like paperwork so that I had a little bit more of a stable schedule. Once the twins and Kimberlee were a little bit older, I would go back to the hands on side of nursing.
"You're looking good, for someone who's just had twins." My friend Mary complimented me as she leaned over from her cubicle. I looked down at my simple outfit of a short black skirt and a blue shirt and smiled.
"Thanks. I do try my best to look good."
"Well you do a good job of it." She sat back down and I turned back to my desk with a sigh. I had a pile of paperwork ten miles high to deal with and my feet hurt at only nine in the morning. Making a quick decision, I kicked off my cream colored heels and dove straight into my work.
(Flashback)
Fortunately Maya and Phoebe made it home in time that day and for a while, life continued smoothly. At least, until school started up again. Waking early, Maya slowly got herself ready for school, singing softly to herself. She would never let anyone know, but she actually enjoyed going to school each day for the sheer prospect of being there. While at school, she could be whoever she wanted.
"Maya? Can you help me?" Phoebe asked quietly, coming into the kitchen as Maya made her lunch for the day. Maya sighed and turned to her sister, her stomach doing flips at the sight of the big bruise covering Phoebe's eye. No matter how often she saw it, it never got any better.
"What do you need help with, Phee?" she asked.
"I need to cover the bruise." Phoebe told her, holding up a foundation stick. Maya nodded and gestured to one of the bar stools by the kitchen counter. Phoebe clambered up and closed her eye to allow Maya to apply the foundation. As gently as she could, she covered the bruise, cringing inside every time Phoebe gasped a little if she pressed too hard. It took a little while to get it just right but when she was done, you could hardly tell that the bruise was there.
"All done. Now hurry up and finish getting ready for school." Maya told her, handing the foundation stick back to her. Phoebe jumped down from the bar stool and ran off to get ready. Maya watched her go with mixed emotions running through her.
(Maya P.O.V)
I sat in my office, staring at the picture of Zack and Reed that hung on the wall. I knew that my silence was affecting them as well but I was still battling my own demons. I needed to accept my past by myself first before I go telling others.
"Mrs. Martin?" I was startled out of my thoughts by my secretary poking her head in the door.
"Anna, how many times have I told you, call me Maya?" I sighed, straightening my papers.
"Sorry Maya. Your husband is here to see you."
"Let him in." Anna disappeared and in a few moments, Zack came in, carrying a garment bag and a shoe box. I eyed him suspiciously.
"What are you doing?"
"You need cheering up and the only thing I can think of is taking you out for a night of dancing to take your mind off everything." He told me holding the garment bag out to be. I laughed and shook my head but took it anyway, ducking into the small bathroom that adjoined my office. Inside the bag I found a pretty blue halter-neck dress. I slipped it on and opened the small jewelry box I found at the bottom of the bag to reveal sapphire and diamond earrings and necklace. Thankfully, I had a few bobby-pins always on my person and I used them to pull some of the curls in my hair up to create a fancier look. I headed back out to find Zack leaning against my desk with the shoe box which he handed to me.
"Zack, you really didn't need to buy an entire new outfit for me." I told him, pulling out the pretty blue heels that were in the box.
"I know that. But I wanted to." Once the shoes were on, I went over to him and kissed him.
"I love you Zack." I whispered afterwards, leaning my forehead against his.
"I love you too Maya." With that, he led me out to the car and we drove off. The drive wasn't long and we soon got to a small restaurant where they cleared the floor of tables around eight so that couples could dance if they wanted. We sat down at one of the tables to the side of the room and ordered our food.
(Zack P.O.V)
"Maya, I'm worried about you. It's been months and you keep pulling further and further into yourself. I worry that it's going to affect the baby." I said as we ate.
"I know you're worried. I'm worried too. But I don't know how to deal with what I'm feeling. When I was younger, I thought I'd hidden them deep enough that they wouldn't hurt me anymore but then I said that one stupid thing on Valentine's Day and they've come back to haunt me."
"I know but surely you can at least suppress them a little like you used to? If not for yourself or even Reed and I, then for the baby."
"I wish I could but it's just so hard and as an adult, I'm seeing things differently and it just makes it all worse."
"So tell me. Tell me what's bothering you." She looked at me.
"I want to but I just… I can't." I sighed and put my fork down. I watched as tears sprung to her eyes. I stood up and offered her my hand.
"Look, you won't tell me but I promised you a night of dancing to take your mind off it all, didn't I? So let's dance." She accepted my hand and we moved to the dance floor where I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. She put her arms over my shoulders and rested her head on my chest. We danced slowly for what felt like hours before I finally pulled back to look at her.
"Maya, you are the most amazing woman I've ever met in my life. I love you more than you could ever begin to realize. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. You and Reed and the baby all mean so much to me and it would kill me to lose any of you."
"I know Zack. And I'm doing everything I can to make it better but I need time."
"I- I talked to Cody and he suggested a psychologist of some sort might help."
"You want me to talk to a shrink? Did none of you learn anything from Mr. Blanket?" She stopped dancing and stared at me as if I were crazy.
"No, I don't want you to talk to a shrink. I want you to talk to me but a psychologist, a fully qualified and trained one, might be able to help you figure out what's going on."
"I don't know, Zack. I mean, I get what you're saying but what if it just makes everything worse instead of better?"
"Then it's a risk we'd have to take. I'm not saying we have to, but we could look into it and give it a try if you want to." She started dancing again and sighed.
"Maybe. But let's wait until the New Year. It's only a few weeks away."
"Okay." We danced pretty much in silence until the restaurant closed and we made our way home, exhausted from the evening.
"Zack, I promise that if nothing changes by the start of the year, I will go and talk to a psychologist about it all." She said as we got ready for bed.
"Thank you. That means a lot." I kissed her as we climbed in and I pulled her close, holding her against me. "I love you Maya."
"Goodnight, Zack." I stayed awake for hours, watching as she drifted into sleep, her hair splayed out on the pillow. She looked so gorgeous, it was hard to believe that she was going through all this stuff. I thought over the evening and how it had turned out. She had seemed a little happier by the time we left but nowhere near what she used to be. It was like the spark of happiness had gone inside her. I used to be able to see a glint in her eye when she looked at me but now her eyes were just blank most of the time.
I wondered if telling her about Cody's psychologist idea was a good thing. She'd seemed quite hurt when I brought it up. She knows I love her and that I'd do anything for her but when I'd told her that I thought a psychologist might help, I could practically see her trust in me fall away. I don't know why she felt like that but I saw the tears in her eyes and after being with her for so many years, it's hard to not know how to tell what she's feeling. Slowly I felt myself drifting off to sleep too but it was hours after she did.