Day by Day

Chapter 22: One Last Night

Mal rocked Brelyn to sleep in the rocking chair in the nursery. Tonight was not like any other night Mal had put Brelyn to bed. Tonight was the final night Mal would ever get to do this. Tomorrow, they would be sending Brelyn and Jacey off to the orphanage. They felt the orphanage they chose was the best; it was run by a former orphan from the Isle, so Evie knew her very well.

Brelyn was especially giggly that night. Mal smiled, despite her feelings of what was going to be happening. "My happy, little girl," Mal whispered. "What am I going to do without you?" Brelyn giggled again. Mal tried her best to hold back tears, but she was painstakingly failing.

"I know," Ben said from the doorway. "I'm going to miss her too." Mal wiped the tears from under her eyes, not wanting Ben to see her like this. "Mal, it's okay to cry. Especially over something like this."

"I know that," Mal said. "It's just...what if we never get to see her again? What if tonight truly is the last time I ever get to see my baby."

Ben shrugged. He himself didn't actually know if they would ever be able to see Brelyn again. When Mal had first come to Auradon, she would always ask questions about the world that Ben seemed to answer easily. As they got older, her questions had become harder and harder to answer. "The best thing we can do is hope that the orphanage can give our daughter the best life, and, maybe, she gets adopted by a loving family who will treat her as their own."

Mal shifted uncomfortably. The thought of Brelyn calling someone else "mom" instead of her made her uneasy. She had just gotten used to the idea of being called "mommy", and everything was now being taken away from her.

"I just can't believe that this is happening," Mal said. "Why now when all of our lives were getting so much better?"

"Hey, Shang is on it," Ben said. "I know that he'll do whatever it takes to keep Brelyn and Jacey safe as well as you four."

Ben sat in the softer chair in the corner of the nursery. Mal could tell that Ben's eyes were not leaving Brelyn. Mal had wished that she could see Ben be the dad she always knew he'd be. "Do you wanna hold her?" Mal asked. "It's your last night with her too."

"Can I?" Ben asked.

"You don't necessarily have to ask," Mal said. "She's your daughter too."

Mal placed Brelyn in Ben's arms. Ben's face lit up upon holding his little girl. "Hey, little beast," Ben said. "I'm sure going to miss you." Ben scooted over slightly, making enough room for Mal to join him on the chair. Brelyn began giggling again, seeing both of her parents again. Mal noticed slight tears falling from under Ben's eyes. She wiped them away, knowing his hands were full. "Can't take me anywhere I guess," Ben said.

Mal laughed, knowing what Ben was referring to. Mal looked over to the clock. It read 11:47. Almost midnight. "It's getting really late," Mal said. "And little Brelyn here has a big day tomorrow."

Ben looked up at the clock and sighed upon reading the time. "Well, this is it," Ben said. "This will be our very last time putting Brelyn down for bed."

"Crazy, isn't it?" Mal said.

"This is the kind of thing we should be going through when she starts high school and decides to live in the dorms. Not when she is an almost-three-month-old."

Ben began handing Mal the baby when Mal protested. "Why don't you put her to bed? Most of the time, it had been me. You deserve to be the last one who sets her down for the night," Mal said.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked, knowing Mal really prided herself in her nights with their daughter.

Mal nodded. Ben got up slowly, trying not to disturb Brelyn, who looked just about ready to pass out for the night. He placed Brelyn in the crib, making sure nothing fell on her during the night. Once Brelyn was set down, she was instantly asleep. Ben leaned over the crib, placing a soft kiss on his purple-haired daughter's head. "Goodnight little beast," Ben whispered. Mal and Ben walked towards the door. Before exiting, they took one last look at Brelyn before shutting the door behind them. "She's going to be okay."

"I know," Mal replied. I know she will. But will I be?

Jay had just gotten home from a long meeting at Auradon Prep. He had wished he'd taken time off, but at the same time, he needed something to distract him from the harsh reality that was coming. He walked up to his and Lonnie's room. Lonnie sat on the bed, holding Jacey in her arms. She had a warm smile that practically lit up Jay's entire world. "How you holding up?" Jay asked.

Lonnie shrugged. "Hanging in there, I guess," Lonnie trailed off.

"Asleep already?" Jay asked, motioning to Jacey.

Lonnie nodded. "Just like her father. Right to sleep once she hits that pillow. Well, in this case, her baby blanket."

Jay chuckled. The both of them agreed to try not to be all sappy and crying that night. Instead, they wanted to be happy that they got to spend the time they did with their daughter. Jay couldn't help but just love how much of a great mother Lonnie had been for the past three weeks. He had only wished he had more time to be a father.

Jay got a camera out from one his bags. He took a picture of Lonnie craddleing Jacey on the bed. The flash of the camera caught Lonnie's attention. "Hey," Lonnie said. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because I want to remember this moment forever," Jay said, showing Lonnie the photo. "Definitely having this photo framed."

Lonnie laughed, loving Jay's out-of-the-blue quirkiness. Jay joined Lonnie and sat on the bed. Without even speaking, Lonnie handed Jacey to Jay. "Hey, baby girl," Jay said. Lonnie leaned her head against Jay's shoulder.

"You would've been a great dad," Lonnie said.

"You think so?" Jay asked.

Lonnie nodded. "You are amazing with all of your classes."

"But teenagers are different than a small child," Jay said. "Teens aren't as dependant on you as opposed to a little kid. Something I learned the hard way while living on the Isle."

Lonnie sighed. Jay didn't talk about the Isle much. From what Jay and the others have said, she knew Jafar was one of the more "nicer" parents on the Isle, but he's still a villain. There was no way Jay actually had a loving parent during his childhood. However, that's where Lonnie knew Jay was different. She knew Jay cared about the people around him; that goes without saying based off how he is around Mal, Evie, and Carlos. The moment Jacey was born, Lonnie could see the love for her in Jay's eyes.

"I know you and how much you've grown," Lonnie explained. "You're not the same boy you were when you first got off the Isle of the Lost. You always try to be the best version of yourself. I couldn't have asked for anything more from the father of my beautiful daughter."

"Thanks, Lonnie," Jay said. He placed a kiss on Lonnie's forehead. "And I couldn't have been happier to have this gift with you, even if this gift got to stay with us for only a mere three weeks."

"I know tomorrow is going to be hard, but we'll get through this together," Lonnie said. "The rest of our lives are going to be okay. Jacey will be okay. I know she'll be even more okay that Brelyn is with her. And my dad is working hard to make sure whatever this threat is keeps everyone safe. Life always has its ups and downs, but if we stick together, we can get through anything."

"I know, it's just...it's hard."

The two talked for the rest of the night. Things were definitely going to be different now, but that wasn't going to stop them from being happy. The best thing that they could do for each other and for Jacey was to stay positive, and let each other know that they loved each other.

Back from my week break. Got a couple of chapters done during my break. To to other writers that are struggling, it's okay to take a break once in awhile. Even if it's a short break that lasts a week or a longer one that lasts months, it's still worth it. Sometimes you just need time to write without the thought of a deadline. Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter!