We'll Get Through This

Part 4

Mason was a high school art teacher who also taught adult night classes in the evenings from time to time when he didn't have a big commission from a local business.

Maya was truly so proud of her little brother and how far he had come.

Not long after Maya and Carina got married, Maya had run into Mason on a call. He had been living on the streets but was completely clean and sober. He had gotten injured trying to break up a fight and had needed to go to the hospital. Mason had been furious at Maya at first, wanting nothing to do with her.

However, he did let her and Vic take him to the hospital because he was bleeding pretty badly from a gash in his head and had a lot of pain in his arm. Maya had driven, but as Vic started talking to him about his sister, Mason had been so stunned at what he heard that he couldn't even think of how to respond.

He had been dropped off at the ER and let his sister leave without saying anything to her but had instead shown up at the station about a week later looking for her. It hadn't been easy, but the two siblings had worked hard and now had a very good relationship with each other.

Mason liked to refer to the scar on his head as the thing that brought him his family because it had both brought his sister back into his life and also lead to him meeting the love of his life, Laila, in the ER when he was waiting to be treated because she was working as an ER nurse that afternoon.

"How have you guys been?" Laila asked Maya, startling her out of her thoughts about Mason.

"We've been fine," Maya said quickly, "The girls are loving daycare and work has been going really well for both of us."

Laila wanted to ask a follow up question, noticing something didn't quite seem right with her sister-in-law, but just then, Josie started fussing again.

"I'll take her," Laila said, going over to her daughter, "It's time for another dose of Tylenol I think. And she might want to nurse." As Laila dealt with the cranky baby, Carina came back into the room.

"Food will be here in about forty minutes," Carina said.

"Eat?" Nora asked, abandoning her uncles and sister.

"Are you hungry?" Maya asked, picking the toddler up.

"Si," Nora nodded, "Eat."

"I can make them some pasta and veggies," Carina said, "They probably won't last until pizza."

"I can do it," Maya said, not wanting to put more on Carina tonight.

"I've got it," Carina said, shaking her head. Maya knew that being in the kitchen was something that calmed Carina down much like running did for her so she didn't fight her on it.

"Mommy, pway," Nora said, looking at Maya.

"Zio Andrea and Uncle Mason aren't enough?" Maya said, raising an eyebrow at the little girl.

"No, Mommy," Nora said, looking at her with big brown eyes that Maya couldn't say no to.

"Alright," Maya said, getting off the couch just as Laila sat back down with Josie to nurse her.

Within fifteen minutes, Nora and Rowan were both getting hangry as Carina told them dinner was ready.

"I also have some for Josie if she wants," Carina said, looking at Laila who was holding a much less fussy baby, "It's just pasta and I gave the girls some fruit and vegetables."

"That would be great," Laila said, smiling as she got up, "Thanks Carina."

Laila sat at the table with Josie in her lap as Carina dished up some food for her.